A timeline of Marine Le Pen’s political career and the rise of the French far right
Summary
A Paris court will decide if Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, can run in the 2027 presidential election after she was found guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. If the court bars her, her protege Jordan Bardella, who is already the party president, would replace her as the candidate.Key Facts
- Marine Le Pen is the leader of France’s far-right National Rally party.
- In March 2025, she and others in her party were found guilty of misusing European Parliament funds to hire aides who did party work instead of parliamentary tasks.
- The court ruling on her eligibility to run in the 2027 presidential election is expected soon.
- If banned, Jordan Bardella, 30, will become the National Rally’s presidential candidate.
- Bardella is of Italian and Algerian descent and grew up in public housing.
- Marine Le Pen took over leadership of the party from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011, and changed its name from National Front to National Rally in 2018.
- Le Pen has run for president twice, reaching the runoff in 2017 and losing to Emmanuel Macron.
- Bardella was elected as a member of the European Parliament in 2019 and is a key party spokesperson.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
