France’s presidential race faces a decisive legal turning point.

PARIS | JULY 2026

Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella presented a united front before a Paris appeals court delivers a ruling that could determine who represents the National Rally in France’s 2027 presidential election. During a party gathering in Liévin, northern France, both leaders insisted that their political partnership would continue regardless of the judicial decision expected on Tuesday, July 7. Le Pen remains the movement’s preferred presidential candidate, while Bardella, the party’s 30-year-old president, is widely viewed as the immediate alternative should she be prevented from competing. Their public display of loyalty was intended to reassure supporters and contain speculation that the legal uncertainty surrounding Le Pen has created a struggle for control inside the party.

Le Pen used the gathering to reject the idea that legal and political obstacles could weaken the National Rally or discourage its leadership. She promised to support Bardella every day, with energy and conviction, if the court ultimately blocks her candidacy, while maintaining that she still expects to lead the party into the presidential contest. Bardella responded by reaffirming his friendship, loyalty and political commitment to Le Pen, declaring that he hopes to see her elected president of the French Republic. The carefully coordinated messages established a succession mechanism without formally presenting Bardella as a replacement, allowing the party to prepare for either judicial outcome while preserving Le Pen’s authority.

The ruling concerns Le Pen’s appeal against her March 2025 conviction in a case involving the misuse of European Parliament funds intended for parliamentary assistants. The lower court concluded that money allocated for European legislative work had been used to pay employees performing duties for the National Rally, imposing a four-year prison sentence, including two years under electronic monitoring, a €100,000 fine and a five-year ban from public office. Because the political disqualification was ordered with immediate effect, Le Pen cannot currently run in the 2027 presidential election unless the appeals court overturns or modifies that part of the judgment. She denies intentionally committing wrongdoing and has argued that the employment arrangements were transparent and based on her understanding of the European Parliament’s rules.

Several possible outcomes remain open when the appeals court announces its decision on July 7. An acquittal would restore Le Pen’s ability to pursue another presidential campaign, while a reduced sentence or shortened period of ineligibility could also permit her to compete if the restriction expires before the election. Confirmation of the five-year ban would make Bardella the most likely National Rally candidate, although Le Pen could continue challenging the ruling before France’s Court of Cassation. The legal process therefore extends beyond the personal future of one politician, because the decision could reshape the leadership, campaign strategy and electoral positioning of one of France’s most influential political forces.

The demonstration of unity also followed reports of internal differences over the party’s future economic programme, particularly Bardella’s approach to pensions and his increasingly business-oriented political profile. Some National Rally officials have questioned whether his proposals represent a gradual departure from Le Pen’s more interventionist and socially protective economic message, while others view the differences as part of the party’s preparations for government. At the gathering, however, both leaders directed their attacks outward, criticizing left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon and former prime ministers Gabriel Attal and Édouard Philippe rather than discussing policy disagreements within their own organization. Their strategy was clear: Le Pen remains the candidate while legally possible, Bardella remains prepared to step forward, and the National Rally intends to enter the presidential campaign without allowing the court ruling to fracture its public image.

France now awaits a verdict that could redefine the road to the Élysée.