French far-right leader Le Pen says will run in 2027 presidential election

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Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has said she will run in France’s 2027 presidential election.

Her announcement in an interview with broadcaster TF1 followed an appeals court ruling earlier on Tuesday that allowed her to run in the election if she agreed to wear an electronic ankle tag. She has previously said she would not run if she was forced to campaign while wearing one.

“I had indicated that I would not campaign while wearing an electronic tag. But since I have the option of appealing … and the government is suspending the effects of the ruling, I will therefore campaign without an electronic tag,” Le Pen told TF1.

“So tonight, I am a candidate in the presidential election.”

The appeals court ruling reduced a ban on Le Pen holding elected office to 45 months, with 30 suspended. The other 15 months were expected to be backdated from the initial verdict by a lower court in March last year.

The lower court had sentenced Le Pen, 57, to a five-year ban from public office and two years in prison over a fake jobs scam at the European Parliament, which would have ruled her out of the 2027 election.

More to come…