Le Pen announces candidacy for 2027 and files appeal to the Cour de cassation – Bompard speaks of double standards

Paris – 08.07.2026: After the confirmation of part of the rulings in the case concerning allegedly misused EU funds, Marine Le Pen has officially declared her candidacy for the 2027 presidential election. At the same time, the chair of the Rassemblement National parliamentary group announced that she would file a cassation appeal against the decision of the Cour d’appel de Paris. According to her, certain sanctions have no effect until the Cour de cassation has ruled.

Legally, the situation is complex: the Cour de cassation reviews only legal questions — for example procedural errors or the correct application of rules — not the findings of fact. If the Cour de cassation quashes a judgment, it can refer the case back to a different chamber for re-trial. Until then, certain ancillary consequences may be suspended. Observers expect that such a legal process can take several months, which will affect the calendar of the opening primary campaign.

Politically, Le Pen’s move immediately provoked reactions. Manuel Bompard, coordinator of La France insoumise in the National Assembly, called it a ‘political signal’ that widens the gap between legal defense and political responsibility. He accused Le Pen of using the legal process strategically to limit the impact of the conviction on her campaign. Members of the presidential majority above all stressed the independence of the judiciary, while supporters of the Rassemblement National interpret the decision as evidence of what they see as unfair treatment by the courts and the media.

At the center remains the question of eligibility to run. In France a criminal conviction does not automatically rule out a presidential candidacy; what matters are the specific penalties imposed and their enforcement. Because the Cour de cassation does not review new facts, the core of the allegations remains politically present — even if certain consequences are temporarily paused. For Le Pen’s camp, the appeal provides time to mobilize, while opponents interpret the move as evidence of insufficient integrity.

Several stages will be crucial going forward: the formal acceptance of the cassation appeal, a possible decision by the public prosecutor on further legal remedies, and the positioning of parties with an eye to 2027. Regardless of the legal outcome, the debate over the handling of public funds, party transparency in Brussels and Paris, and the limits of political accountability returns to the center of domestic political conflict. Thus the case shapes the early start of the presidential campaign — between legal scrutiny, image battles, and the question of trust in political actors.