Le Pen runs election campaign one day after conviction in France Less than a day after having her conviction for misappropriation of public resources confirmed by the courts, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far right in France, began her election campaign for the country's Presidency this Wednesday (8). ? Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp Accompanied by Jordan Bardella, her running mate for next year's elections, Le Pen visited a fair in the village of La Flèche, southwest of Paris, and was surrounded by supporters eager for a selfie. "Jordan and I are here because we are kicking off the presidential campaign. I'm not going to spend the presidential campaign giving you legal analysis. The court reinstated my eligibility. The rest will come later. (...) The Court of Appeals said: 'I'm granting voters their freedom to vote.' I expected nothing less", minimized the French politician when asked about her legal issues. Marine Le Pen taking photos with supporters as she begins her campaign REUTERS/Benoit Tessier This Tuesday (7), the French Court of Appeal confirmed the conviction of Le Pen, found guilty of embezzling 1.4 million euros from the European Parliament intended for hiring parliamentary advisors, but opened the way for her to run in 2027. The 57-year-old politician regained her right to participate in the elections, because the court reduced her ineligibility penalty. Hours after the decision, she announced her candidacy to a French TV station. "I am very pleased that Marine can represent our party and that the partial innocence of the National Meeting has been recognized in the face of what seemed, at first glance, to be a highly political decision," said Bardella, Marine's deputy. Le Pen's sentence was determined at three years in prison, two of which were suspended and one will be served in an open regime, using an electronic ankle bracelet. The decision also reduced the period of ineligibility to 45 months, of which 30 were suspended. As Le Pen has already served most of the remaining 15 months since her conviction - handed down in 2025 - she will be able to stand as a candidate in the French presidential elections scheduled for April 2027.