PARIS — In a stunning judicial reversal, a Paris appeals court has paved the way for far-right leader Marine Le Pen to potentially contest the 2027 presidential election, albeit with the stipulation that she wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.

This watershed ruling on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, alters the landscape of French politics. A lower court had previously sentenced the 57-year-old National Rally (RN) leader to a five-year exclusion from public office and a two-year prison term over a fraudulent employment scheme at the European Parliament.

The Strategic Dilemma

Le Pen now faces a profound dilemma. The remaining 15 months of her ineligibility are expected to be backdated to the initial verdict in March 2025. Consequently, she must deliberate whether mounting a nationwide campaign while tethered to a judicial monitoring device is viable.

Should she deem the electronic bracelet politically deleterious, the reins of the RN party are poised to be transferred to Jordan Bardella, her protégé and the current party leader. This maneuver underscores the party's meticulous succession planning in the face of judicial impediments.

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