The decision in Le Pen's appeal against last year's verdict for misuse of EU funds came unexpectedly quickly on Tuesday afternoon.
The new sentence means a ban on holding public office for 45 months, 30 of which are suspended. According to French media, she has already served 15 months of her sentence from the 2025 ruling.
This allows her to run in the presidential election in April 2027.
She is also sentenced to three years in prison, two of which are suspended and the third under electronic monitoring - in practice with an ankle tag.
"I said I would not campaign with an anklet. But since I have the possibility to appeal... and since it has a suspensive effect, I can campaign without an anklet," Le Pen said on Tuesday evening.
“Must have freedom”
As recently as last week, Le Pen was clear that she did not see any point in running if she were to be restricted.
After the verdict was handed down on Tuesday afternoon, Le Pen spent the day at the National Rally party headquarters in Paris to meet with party leader Jordan Bardella, who is seen as the party's natural candidate if Le Pen does not run.
On Tuesday evening, she said in a television interview that she was happy about the ruling that gives her the right to run in the next presidential election and that she intends to appeal. Le Pen continues to maintain her innocence.
She further said that she plans to run as a duo with Jordan Bardella.
I believe that this political couple that we are can really change things. It can breathe new life into our country and change the daily lives of the French.
“Steal money”
The verdict against Le Pen and a long line of party colleagues concerned the improper use of money received from the European Parliament to pay assistants.
The court has repeatedly stressed the seriousness of the defendants' actions. They embezzled and stole European taxpayers' money, said Parliament lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve, shortly after Le Pen was convicted by the appeals court.
Marine Le Pen succeeded her father Jean-Marie as party leader in 2011 and has run in three previous presidential elections. She came third in 2012 and lost in both 2017 and 2022 in decisive rounds of elections against incumbent President Emmanuel Macron.
Facts: Le Pen and Bardella
Marine Le Pen (born 1968) took over the far-right National Front party - renamed the National Rally in 2021 - from her father and party founder Jean-Marie in 2011. Le Pen came second to Emmanuel Macron in the last two presidential elections in 2017 and 2022, but has been disqualified from running in next year's election for now after being convicted in court of fraud involving EU subsidies.
Jordan Bardella (born 1995) took over as party leader from Le Pen in 2021. He has been in the European Parliament since 2019, where he is group leader of the far-right PFE group, which also includes Hungarian Fidesz, Dutch PVV and Danish People's Party, among others. If Le Pen runs for president and wins, she is expected to appoint Bardella as prime minister.
