On Tuesday, a Paris appeals court is set to rule on whether Marine Le Pen is eligible to stand as a candidate in France’s 2027 presidential election. The verdict follows a March 2025 ruling that placed Le Pen at the centre of a scheme to misappropriate €2.9 million in European Parliament funds through her party, the National Rally (RN).
Ahead of the decision, Le Pen and the party’s young president, Jordan Bardella, made a concerted show of unity at a “country banquet” in Liévin, northern France. The event was intended to dispel any suggestion of friction between the two leaders, as some observers have pointed to potential differences over strategy and ambition.
“Here’s a little message for those who think that putting obstacles in our way is enough to discourage us. We will never be discouraged,” Le Pen told the crowd. She pledged that if the courts prevent her from running, she would support Bardella “every day,” with “great energy,” “great conviction and great confidence.”
Bardella, for his part, reaffirmed his loyalty. “I want to reaffirm my full support, my complete friendship, and remind her that I committed myself to her in politics,” he said. He added that he hopes “to see her elected president of the Republic in a few months’ time.”
Internal Unity and External Attacks
The RN had expected at least 1,200 activists to attend the feast, though a number of seats remained empty. Despite the lower-than-anticipated turnout, Le Pen and Bardella used the platform to attack their political rivals. They accused Jean-Luc Mélenchon of promoting a “racialist policy” and branded former prime ministers Gabriel Attal and Édouard Philippe as “mini-Macrons.”
The duo’s show of solidarity comes at a critical juncture for the far-right party. If the appeals court upholds the earlier ruling, Le Pen would be barred from the 2027 race—widely seen as her best opportunity to win the Élysée after two second-round defeats to Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and 2022.
Le Pen’s legal troubles have not diminished her standing among RN supporters, but they have injected uncertainty into the party’s presidential ambitions. Bardella, 29, has been positioned as a potential successor, though he lacks Le Pen’s national profile and electoral experience.
The case has broader implications for French politics and for the European far-right more generally. A ban on Le Pen would remove one of the most prominent figures in the movement ahead of the 2027 election, potentially reshaping the race. It would also test the RN’s ability to pivot to a new standard-bearer without losing momentum.
Meanwhile, the party continues to face scrutiny over its use of EU funds. The original ruling in March found that Le Pen was at the heart of “a fraudulent system” that diverted money from the European Parliament to finance RN activities in France. The appeals court’s decision will be closely watched across the continent, as it could set a precedent for how EU member states handle allegations of misuse of European funds by political parties.
For now, Le Pen and Bardella are projecting confidence. Whether that unity will hold if the verdict goes against them remains an open question.
