Marine Le Pen has announced she will be a candidate for France’s 2027 presidential election and will appeal an embezzlement conviction to the Court of Cassation, after a Paris appeals court decision allowed her to stand but required her to wear an electronic tag for a year.

Speaking to French TV, Le Pen said she could not campaign with a tag and vowed to pursue “all legal avenues” to defend her innocence. The appeals court had found her guilty of misusing €2.8 million in EU funds in a fake jobs scheme, while ruling that the conditions of ineligibility would be handled in a way that still permits her candidacy despite the monitoring requirement.

The announcement ends months of speculation about whether she might hand the nomination to Jordan Bardella. Le Pen also said her campaign would begin immediately, framing it as a project for “the rebirth of France,” and indicated she and Bardella would work as president and prime minister if she wins.

If the Court of Cassation upholds the conviction, analysts say the tag requirement could become a major political handicap during the most intense phase of the campaign, starting in early 2027.