Marine Le Pen Barred From 2027 Race As Global Lawfare Targets Another Conservative Leader 

French conservative leader Marine Le Pen, who had been leading early polls for the 2027 presidential race, has been sentenced to two years of house arrest and handed a two-year suspended sentence. A French court also barred her from holding public office for five years following a conviction tied to misuse of European Parliament funds.

Le Pen was accused of directing parliamentary staff to perform duties that benefited her political party, National Rally, rather than their official roles. Eight other current or former party members were also found guilty in the same case. The court ordered Le Pen to pay a 100,000 euro fine as part of the ruling.

Although Le Pen plans to appeal the decision, the political consequences are immediate. The restriction on holding office remains in place during the appeals process, effectively removing her from the 2027 election — a move critics say is designed to crush the conservative opposition through legal channels rather than democratic debate.

The case is being viewed by many as part of a wider trend across the globe, where courts are increasingly used to neutralize conservative challengers. In Brazil, former President Jair Bolsonaro is facing charges. In Romania, Calin Georgescu, a top conservative figure, has been blocked from seeking the presidency. Pakistan’s Imran Khan remains in prison. And in the United States, President Donald Trump has been targeted with multiple prosecutions during his reelection campaign.

France’s justice system follows an inquisitorial model, which allows judges to both investigate and rule on cases — a system that stands in contrast to the adversarial structure used in the U.S. Critics say this arrangement makes it easier for political pressure to shape legal outcomes and sideline popular candidates.

The specific charge against Le Pen, embezzlement, centers on whether staff paid by the European Parliament were performing party-related work. Similar accusations have been made against other parties in France, including both the centrist Modem and the leftist LFI, yet Le Pen’s party is the one facing sentencing just as she prepared another presidential bid.

Le Pen has previously run for president three times and led her party from 2011 to 2021.