Parliamentary Aides of the National Front facing trial: Appeal hearing for Marine Le Pen scheduled from 13th January to 12th February 2026

French Politics: Marine Le Pen's Disqualification and the 2027 Presidential Election

A series of events have unfolded in the French political landscape, centring around the disqualification of Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) party.

Last week, a QPC (Priority Question of Constitutionality) filed by Marine Le Pen was rejected by the Administrative Court of Lille. The rejection was due to the articles of law leading to her immediate ineligibility having already been recognized as constitutional by the Constitutional Council in previous decisions.

The disqualification of Marine Le Pen has opened the door for a potential "Plan B like Bardella" to represent the party in the 2027 presidential election. This hypothesis suggests that another party member might take up the reins, with Yannick Bardella, a prominent RN member, being a possible candidate.

Marine Le Pen is scheduled to stand trial from January 13 to February 12, 2026, for a case involving the FN's (ex-RN) parliamentary assistants. This trial follows a previous verdict in 2024, where she was condemned to four years in prison, including two years suspended, a fine of 100,000 euros, and a five-year disqualification with immediate execution, due to a system set up between 2004 and 2016 to pay the party's employees with European Parliament money.

Twelve persons, including Louis Aliot, Julien Odoul, Nicolas Bay, Wallerand de Saint-Just, and Bruno Gollnisch, have appealed the initial verdict. The appeal process is ongoing, with a judgment expected in summer 2026, which might influence Le Pen's eligibility for the 2027 presidential election.

Besides Marine Le Pen, other persons who participated in the appeal process include Julien Odoul, Louis Aliot, Dominique Bilde, Mylène Troszczynski, Nicolas Bay, Bruno Gollnisch, Fernand Le Rachinel, Yann Le Pen, Timothée Houssin, and Marie-Christine Arnautu. They are all appealing their convictions after being sentenced in 2025.

In addition to the ongoing trial, the RN is under investigation for fraud against a public person and illegal campaign financing, following a raid on its headquarters in July 2024. The investigation primarily focuses on loans from individuals to the party for the financing of its presidential and legislative campaigns in 2022 and the European elections in 2024.

The condemnation of Marine Le Pen to a disqualification penalty has sparked strong political reactions, with Prime Minister François Bayrou publicly expressing his "disturbance." In response, Marine Le Pen has filed two distinct requests with the Council of State to have the immediate character of her disqualification declared unconstitutional.

The Paris Court of Appeal has accelerated its schedule to render a decision on Marine Le Pen's case by the summer of 2026, despite the vertiginous stocks of pending files. The outcome of this decision could significantly impact the political landscape leading up to the 2027 presidential election.

Parliamentary Aides of the National Front facing trial: Appeal hearing for Marine Le Pen scheduled from 13th January to 12th February 2026