The Court Case That Could Decide Who Runs in France
Can someone be convicted, banned, and still be the name everyone is talking about? In France, that question is shaping the next presidential race.
The first round is on Sunday, April 18, 2027. If nobody wins more than half the votes, the top two meet in a runoff on May 2.
Marine Le Pen is at the center of it. She was convicted of misusing European Parliament money and first banned from office for five years. In July, an appeals court upheld the conviction but cleared her to run.
She says she will appeal again, this time to France's top court, the Cour de Cassation. That court has said it could rule by early April, before the first round.
Polls are a snapshot, not a result. An early November poll had Le Pen at 34 to 36 percent in the first round. Jean-Luc Mélenchon was seen reaching a runoff with 18 or 19 percent.
Here's the idea to repeat to a friend. A court ruling can decide who is even allowed on the ballot, long before anyone casts a vote.
Le Pen has called the ruling a victory for democracy. Others point to the court's finding that European money was misused. Both views are real, and voters will weigh them differently.
Watch early April. If the top court rules then, the picture could change just weeks before the first round on April 18.
