French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has reaffirmed her intention to run for president in 2027 despite a court order to wear an electronic ankle tag. In a television interview on TF1, she announced she would appeal that part of the ruling and has already launched a campaign website, as reported by The Guardian.
Le Pen said she was aware she could not campaign while wearing an ankle tag. She reiterated that she would appeal this part of the ruling, adding that the ankle tag requirement could be suspended through a further appeal. She confirmed her plan to run in 2027 and announced a joint public appearance with party leader Jordan Bardella the next morning, according to BFMTV, effectively starting her pre-campaign.
Le Pen’s confidence that she can still run and campaign freely rests on the assumption that an appeal to the Court of Cassation would suspend enforcement of the sentence, including the ankle tag. ‘I will therefore campaign without an electronic ankle tag,’ she claimed. However, significant questions remain about whether this is actually the case, and what political risk exists if the appeal is rejected before or during the campaign, forcing her to wear the tag. The Court of Cassation had previously stated it could rule before the presidential election.
In the interview, Le Pen also made clear she sees her candidacy as a package deal with Bardella as candidate for prime minister – ‘a pair,’ as she called it – describing it as a ‘complementary, balanced, coherent and solid’ partnership. She remained undeterred: the final decision lies with the French people, and she said she only wants the freedom to campaign so voters can make that choice. Asked whether she feared the conviction, she said: ‘The last word will be with the French.’
Meanwhile, the French public prosecutor announced he would decide on an appeal against the ruling ‘next week,’ as reported by RTL. Le Pen stressed she still considers herself innocent and disagrees with the verdict, which accused her assistants of dealing with French rather than European politics. She expressed relief, however, that the court had shortened the period of ineligibility, giving the French the freedom to vote in the election.
Source: www.theguardian.com
