Le Pen Launches Campaign Hours After Conviction Upheld, but Ban Shortened

An appeals court on 7 July upheld Marine Le Pen's guilt in a fake-jobs embezzlement scheme but shortened her ineligibility period from outright ban to one year of house arrest with electronic monitoring. Within 24 hours, the 57-year-old far-right National Rally figurehead announced her fourth presidential bid. Le Pen has appealed to France's highest court, suspending the house arrest pending its ruling—a decision likely to come during the campaign itself, leaving the embezzlement case unresolved through April–May 2027 voting.