Marine Le Pen’s political career and the rise of the French far right: Timeline

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, member of parliament for the Rassemblement National (National Rally - RN) party, poses prior to an interview on the evening news broadcast of French TV channel TF1, following the verdict in her appeal trial over misuse of EU funds, in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, France, July 7, 2026.

| Photo Credit: Reuters

French ​far-right leader Marine Le Pen said she ​would ⁠run for president in the 2027 election in an interview with broadcaster TF1 ⁠on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), ⁠her first public remarks since a French ​appeals court upheld her conviction for misusing EU funds.

Many believed Le Pen’s presidential hopes were dead until a Paris appeals court on Tuesday shortened her electoral ban for having embezzled European Parliament funds to pay staff at her anti-immigrant National Rally (RN) party in France. The ruling cleared her to stand in the 2027 election, even as it upheld her conviction. Le Pen said she plans to appeal the guilty verdict while also running for the top office.

Le Pen’s gamble is an audacious one.

Not only is she rolling the dice on whether France’s top court will rule in her favour in her last-ditch appeal against Tuesday’s judgement, she will also test French voters’ appetite for electing a ‌figure ⁠two separate courts have now found guilty of embezzlement.

Le Pen believes it is a risk worth taking, betting ⁠that voters will overlook her legal woes to elect her as France’s first far-right leader in modern times.

Here’s a look at key milestones in the careers of Le Pen and Bardella, and the transformation of the National Rally party into one of France’s major political forces:

Published - July 08, 2026 05:09 pm IST