A high-stakes appeal by far-right French politician Marine Le Pen starts on Tuesday against a ruling that banned her from running for public office for five years. Le Pen, 57, is seeking to overturn a March ruling that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. She was slapped with a five-year ban from holding elected office, two years of house arrest with an electronic bracelet, a further two-year suspended sentence and a 100,000-euro ($116,800) fine. "I hope I'll be able to convince the judges of my innocence," Le Pen told reporters Monday. "It's a new court with new judges. The case will be reset, so to speak." She was seen as the potential front-runner to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 election until last year's ruling, which sent shock waves through French politics. Le Pen denounced it as "a democratic scandal." On Monday, the president of her National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, said barring her from the election would be "deeply worrying for democracy". Bardella said he would not stand for president but would instead seek the lower-ranking post of prime minister. However, an opinion poll, published by Le Monde newspaper on the eve of the appeal, suggested Bardella may have a better chance of winning — 49% against 18% for Le Pen. The appeal trial, involving Le Pen and 11 other defendants, is scheduled to last for five weeks. A panel of three judges at the appeals court in Paris is expected to announce its verdict at a later date, possibly before summer. Several scenarios are possible, from acquittal to another conviction that may or may not bar her from running in 2027. She could also face up to 10 years in prison and a 1-million euro ($1.17 million) fine. The case and its fallout weigh heavily on Le Pen's political future after more than a decade spent trying to bring the far right into France's political mainstream. Since taking over the party from her late father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011, she has sought to shed its reputation for racism and antisemitism, changing its name, expelling her father in 2015 and softening both the party's platform and her own public image. That strategy has paid dividends. The National Rally is now the largest single political group in France's lower house of parliament and has built a broad network of elected officials across the country. — Agencies
