The Japan Times - France Le Pen eyes 2027 vote, says swift appeal 'good news'

In his first reaction to Monday's bombshell judgement, President Emmanuel Macron told members of the government that the French judiciary was "independent" and that "judges must be protected", according to an official present at the meeting.

Le Pen was on Monday given a partly suspended jail term and a fine but, above all, an immediate ban on taking part in elections for five years after being convicted for a scheme at the EU parliament where assistants were actually working for her party.

If it stands, the conviction would eliminate Le Pen from the 2027 election. According to current polling, she would easily win the first round and describes herself as the "favourite" to succeed Macron.

The news sparked shockwaves in France but also in certain quarters around the world, with the likes of President Donald Trump, his billionaire adviser Elon Musk and the Kremlin expressing concern.

The judges who convicted Le Pen have received threats.

Le Pen, who has sought to turn the far-right National Rally (RN) into an electable force and rid it of the legacy of her father and its co-founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, insists she is still planning to stand.

She told Le Parisien she would use "all avenues" of appeal to ensure she can run for president, including France's Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) as well as the regular Paris court of appeal.

Her RN party is planning to hold a protest on Sunday against the verdict, with Le Pen saying she is innocent of all the charges.

Macron also said that "all litigants have the right to appeal", according to the participant who asked not to be named.

"The law is the same for everyone," government spokeswoman Sophie Primas said after the meeting, also confirming Macron's main message.

- 'Not a power play' -

Speaking to reporters at the European Parliament where he sits as a lawmaker, Bardella, who heads Le Pen's RN party, said the upcoming Paris rally was "not a power play."

"It is a mobilisation not against, but in support of French democracy," said Bardella, 29.

In a boost to Le Pen, the Paris Court of Appeal said on Tuesday it would examine the case within a timeframe that could potentially allow her to contest the polls if her conviction is overturned or sentence changed.

She has remained characteristically defiant since the ruling was issued, giving media interviews and comparing her conviction to a "nuclear bomb" unleashed by the establishment.

"This is very good news, in which I can see the turmoil created by the ruling," she told Le Parisien.

"I will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights and the Constitutional Council," she said. "I will use all possible avenues of appeal."

The Constitutional Council, France's highest constitutional authority, could rule on whether her elimination was incompatible with a voter's right to choose.

The Strasbourg-based ECHR can also be called upon in exceptional circumstances to issue urgent rulings when all domestic appeals are exhausted.

Much attention in the last days has focused on a so-called "Plan B" where Bardella would take her place.

But Le Pen said she still wanted to be president with Bardella as prime minister.

"There's no question today of considering a Plan B before even taking Plan A to the end," she said.

She also said that the 2027 campaign, which would be her fourth, would likely be her last. "Unless I am elected," she added.

- Protection -

The Paris Court of Appeal said on Tuesday evening that it would examine Le Pen's case "within a timeframe that should allow a decision to be reached in the summer of 2026".

This could mean that the new trial would be held by early 2026 for a decision to be handed down before the 2027 presidential election.

Separately, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said an investigation had been opened into threats made against the panel of judges who convicted Le Pen.

The presiding judge Benedicte de Perthuis is receiving protection, including increased patrols and regular rounds around her home, after receiving threats, a source close to the case told AFP.

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T.Maeda--JT