Live: Marine Le Pen’s presidential hopes at stake with key French court ruling French far-right leader Marine Le Pen faces a key ruling Tuesday with a Paris appeals court ruling on an EU parliament funds misuse case, which will determine if she can run in the 2027 presidential elections. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. ‘When you’re guilty, you have to pay,’ Socialist party chief says France’s Socialist party leader Olivier Faure has reaffirmed that justice applies to all and that no one is above the law.

In an interview with a French TV station this morning, Faure said it was “time to show that when justice is served, the far right complies. When you’re guilty, you have to pay,” Faure added. Marine Le Pen faces moment of truth in court Marine Le Pen ’s political future is on the line as we await a Paris appeals court verdict on her eligibility to stand in the next presidential election.

FRANCE 24's Eliza Herbert has more on a legal case with political implications that has gripped France. Possible outcomes of Paris appeals court verdict Here are some possible outcomes of the Paris appeal verdict: The Paris appeal court could overturn Marine Le Pen's conviction, leaving her free to run for president next year. Legal experts say that’s an unlikely outcome.

The court may uphold Le Pen's conviction. If it confirms the five-year ban requested by prosecutors, it will rule her out of the presidential race, paving the way for Jordan Bardella, the 30-year-old party chief, to take Le Pen's place as the National Rally (RN) candidate in the 2027 French presidential election. The court may uphold the conviction but soften the sentence.

If the ban from public office were lifted or shortened to two years or less, the door could be opened to a fourth presidential bid for Le Pen, given the ban started at the end of the first trial in March 2025. If the conviction and hefty sentence are upheld, Le Pen could appeal to France's highest court, the Cour de Cassation. She has previously said she would not be a presidential candidate if she has to wait any longer for a final ruling.

You can 'count on me': Bardella expresses his loyalty to Le Pen Jordan Bardella, the National Rally's 30-yar-old president, posted a letter to Marine Le Pen last night in a lengthy post on X, expressing his loyalty and reiterating that a sentence barring her from running for the presidency would be a "grave infringement on the free choice" of the French people. "Over the years, under the watchful eye of the French people, Marine has placed her trust and unwavering support in me, and has become a friend. She has enabled me to shoulder responsibilities I never imagined I would hold when, as a teenager, I first decided to walk through the door of a political party," he said.

"At a time when millions of French people place their hopes and trust in her, depriving her of the opportunity to seek their votes would constitute a grave infringement on the free choice of the French people," he added. "To you, Marine, I simply want to say this: you could count on me yesterday, you can count on me today, and you will be able to count on me tomorrow.