Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), has indicated she will withdraw from the 2027 presidential race to allow her 30-year-old deputy, Jordan Bardella, to run if the court upholds her conviction for misappropriating European Union funds, according to The Times.
Le Pen, 57, a veteran of three presidential campaigns and a front-runner for 2027, gave her strongest signal yet that she may step aside in favor of Bardella in an interview with RTL radio.
Bardella, an eloquent and composed MEP, currently leads polls over Le Pen as the most admired politician in France. However, his youth and lack of experience remain concerns for senior figures in the party, which has been a family dynasty since its founding in 1972 by Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Legal Context
Le Pen has vowed to continue her appeal at the Supreme Court and remain in the campaign even if the appeal fails against her five-year ban from office following a March conviction for the unlawful misappropriation of €4 million in European Parliament funds for party financing.
The appeal hearing is expected in January or February, with a verdict likely in spring 2026.
Le Pen stated:
“I will not allow things to drag on because it is very important to me that our ideas remain in power.”
If the appeal is rejected, Bardella would take her place as the RN candidate. Le Pen described the potential decision as difficult but necessary in the national interest.
Her shift suggests she is facing the likelihood that the appellate judges may reject her denials, amid extensive evidence that she diverted EU funds over 12 years to cover staff salaries and internal party costs in Brussels.
