Le Pen asks protégé Bardella to prepare for 2027 presidential run

France's far-right populist Marine Le Pen, who a court has barred from standing in elections, has called on her political protégé Jordan Bardella to prepare for a run in the 2027 presidential election.

"I accept that I cannot run. Jordan accepts that he must step in. I myself have asked him to think about it and prepare for this possibility," Le Pen told the newspaper Valeures Actuelles in an interview published on Wednesday.

This is the first time Le Pen herself has spoken of the possibility that the leader of the Rassemblement National (RN) party could run for president in her place.

A court convicted Le Pen in early April for embezzling EU funds. The most controversial part of the sentence is that she is prevented from standing for election for five years. The penalty took effect immediately.

Le Pen's comments represented something of a reversal, as she had previously pinned her hopes on an appeal court ruling expected in mid-2026 and had dismissed any debate about Bardella's candidacy.

The 56-year-old still appeared determined to run for the highest office in the country again in 2027, her fourth attempt.

"Jordan and I will enter the presidential primary race until the court case is decided," Le Pen told the newspaper. After the appeal ruling, they would both launch their presidential campaigns. "We will both run this campaign regardless of the outcome of the appeal proceedings."

In recent months she has occasionally raised doubts as to whether she believed Bardella, 29, could win the election.