On Tuesday, a court of appeal found Le Pen guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds. It sentenced her to one year under house arrest and a short period of ineligibility, set to expire before the April 2027 presidential election. Le Pen now plans to appeal to France’s highest court — a move that temporarily suspends the sentence.
The widespread expectation had been that Le Pen would receive a longer ban on holding public office and therefore be unable to run, leaving Bardella — whom she had designated as National Rally’s “Plan B” — as the party’s candidate. He had spent recent weeks preparing for his potential bid, with polls giving him a better chance than Le Pen if he were to run.
Bardella had remained silent since Tuesday’s ruling, simply reposting two of Le Pen’s posts on the social media platform X. Standing alongside his political mentor in La Flèche on Wednesday, he appeared stern-faced. He said little other than that he was “extremely happy” to be on the campaign trail and that “millions of French people are waiting for change.”
The National Rally president told reporters he was “neither relieved nor disappointed” that Le Pen would be the candidate, not him. “We will continue to work hand in hand, just as we always have,” he said.
To capitalize on Bardella’s popularity, Le Pen is pitching her candidacy as a joint ticket with the millennial politician, promising to appoint him prime minister if she is elected. But while presidents choose their prime ministers and can force their resignation, they do not usually run on a formal ticket with them. The president’s election and the appointment of the prime minister are separate processes, and the two names do not appear on the same ballot.