Bardella denies antisemitic messages, files defamation suits against Mediapart
Bardella denies antisemitic messages, files lawsuits; voters remain skeptical of his denial.
Event / Politics
French Presidential Election 2027
Coverage of the 2027 French presidential election campaign, including candidate announcements, policy positions, and political developments across the political spectrum.
5 reported locations
Daily activity
55 articles0 articles
2026-08-02 to 2026-10-30 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 28 Mar, 12:07 UTC
Follow the documented timeline or explore the related reporting.
What happened
Marine Le Pen confirmed as Rassemblement National candidate for French presidential election
Marine Le Pen is now confirmed as the official candidate of the Rassemblement National (RN) party for the upcoming French presidential election. Her candidacy represents a specific political line focused on social issues and appeal to working-class voters.
French court upholds Marine Le Pen conviction but preserves her eligibility
A French appellate court confirmed Marine Le Pen's conviction while declining to extend her ineligibility period, allowing her to remain eligible to run in the presidential election. The court separated the legal judgment from the political choice, leaving the final decision to voters.
Jordan Bardella expresses readiness to become presidential candidate if needed
Jordan Bardella, 31, president of the Rassemblement National, stated on Monday that he is prepared to assume the consequences of the court's judgment on Marine Le Pen. He declared his continued support for Le Pen and indicated the party has anticipated all possible scenarios.
Paris appeals court to rule on Marine Le Pen's eligibility for 2027 presidential election
The Paris appeals court is expected to issue a judgment on Tuesday afternoon regarding Marine Le Pen's legal case involving European parliamentary assistants. The ruling will determine whether she can run for a fourth time as the Rassemblement National candidate in the presidential election. If barred from running, she would be replaced by Jordan Bardella, the party president.
Jordan Bardella positioned as potential replacement presidential candidate if Le Pen becomes ineligible
Jordan Bardella, 30-year-old president of the National Rally, said he was prepared to assume candidacy if Marine Le Pen became ineligible. He stated the party had anticipated all scenarios and that he would continue supporting Le Pen regardless of the court's decision. Bardella was prepared to replace Le Pen on the ballot for the 2027 presidential election if her ineligibility prevented her candidacy.
25 defendants convicted in first instance for systematic misuse of parliamentary funds scheme
A trial court convicted 25 defendants of implementing a systematic scheme between 2004 and 2016 to pay National Rally party employees using European Parliament funds. The scheme involved hiring assistants ostensibly for parliamentary work whose activities actually benefited only the party. Only half of the convicted defendants appealed the verdict.
Marine Le Pen faces potential five-year ineligibility in appeals court decision
Prosecutors recommended a five-year ineligibility sentence for Marine Le Pen in the appeals case, which would prevent her from running in the April-May 2027 presidential election. Any ineligibility period exceeding two years would effectively end her 2027 candidacy before the campaign could begin. First instance courts had previously sentenced her to five years of ineligibility with immediate execution, four years imprisonment (two years firm with electronic monitoring), and a 100,000 euro fine.
Paris appeals court rules on Marine Le Pen ineligibility in parliamentary assistant funds case
The Paris appeals court delivered its decision on July 7, 2026 regarding Marine Le Pen's appeal in the case of misappropriated European Parliament funds. The court ruled on charges that Le Pen and the National Rally (formerly National Front) used European Parliament salary funds to pay party employees between 2004 and 2016. The decision determined whether Le Pen could run in the 2027 presidential election scheduled for April 18 and May 2, 2027.
European Parliament identifies 3.2 million euros in misappropriated funds by National Rally
The European Parliament suffered damages of 3.2 million euros from the misappropriation scheme involving National Rally employees paid through parliamentary salary funds. This figure was calculated after deducting 1.1 million euros already reimbursed by some defendants, establishing the net prejudice to the institution.
National Rally leads 2027 presidential race with over 40 percent support
The National Rally (RN) and allied far-right parties maintain commanding leads in polls for the 2027 presidential election. Combined voting intention for the RN, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, and Eric Zemmour exceeds 40 percent, marking the first time since the Fifth Republic's creation that a far-right candidate could potentially be elected president.
French appeals court to rule on Marine Le Pen's ineligibility case on July 7
The French appeals court will issue a ruling on July 7 regarding Marine Le Pen's ineligibility penalty in the parliamentary assistants affair at the European Parliament. The decision will determine whether Le Pen's ineligibility sentence is reduced, allowing her to run for her fourth presidential campaign, or whether Jordan Bardella will be the National Rally's candidate instead.
Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella show policy differences on retirement age
Policy disagreements have emerged between Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella regarding retirement age. Jordan Bardella has indicated he would not rule out raising the legal retirement age, while Marine Le Pen continues to advocate for maintaining the retirement age at 62 years, or 60 years for those with long careers.
Support for Fabien Roussel's direction declines within Communist Party
Support for the Communist Party leadership's orientation showed a decline compared to the previous congress. In June 2026, the leadership's text received 61.4% of votes (approximately 14,800 votes), down from 81.9% approval (23,900 votes) at the 2023 congress.
Fabien Roussel indicates readiness to be Communist Party's 2027 presidential candidate
Fabien Roussel announced his readiness to run as the Communist Party's presidential candidate in 2027. He stated 'I said I was ready, if you decided it, to lead this fight with you one more time.' The formal designation of the Communist candidate will occur on September 6, 2026, through a vote by party activists.
Stéphane Peu opposes Communist Party presidential candidacy
Stéphane Peu, president of the Communist group in the French National Assembly, opposed the party's decision to present a presidential candidate. He stated 'I do not think it is a good idea for the Communist Party to present a candidate,' expressing preference instead for an agreement with La France Insoumise to secure parliamentary constituencies for communists in upcoming legislative elections.
French Communist Party decides to present presidential candidate for 2027 election
The French Communist Party decided to present a candidate from its own ranks for the 2027 presidential election. The party's leadership text affirmed that 'communists consider they have full legitimacy to put forward a unifying candidacy from their ranks for the presidential election.' This decision was approved by party activists in June with 61.4% support (approximately 14,800 votes out of 24,600 participants).
Fabien Roussel reelected as French Communist Party secretary with 70.1% of votes
Fabien Roussel, secretary general of the French Communist Party (PCF), was reelected to his position on Sunday during the party congress in Lille with 70.1% of the vote. He has led the PCF since 2018.
Communist Party activists reject internal review clause for presidential strategy
Party activists rejected an internal proposal for a 'review clause' in autumn that would have allowed the party to reconsider its presidential strategy. Fabien Roussel had warned in L'Humanité that he would not accept being a candidate and simultaneously challenging his own candidacy during the campaign.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon expresses disappointment with Communist Party's 2027 candidacy decision
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, coordinator of La France Insoumise (LFI), stated that the Communist Party's decision to present a presidential candidate disappoints him. He questioned why Fabien Roussel would receive such criticism after his leadership since 2017. This reflects ongoing tensions between LFI and the PCF stemming from the 2022 presidential election, when Roussel's 2.28% result prevented Mélenchon from reaching the second round.
Philippe attacks National Rally and La France Insoumise as main campaign opponents
Philippe directly attacked both the National Rally and La France Insoumise during his campaign launch, accusing the National Rally of ideological inconsistency and the latter of promoting community division and antisemitism. He declared he would not allow French voters to choose between two forms of anger.
Read the coverage
2 alternative perspectives
Mélenchon expands autumn campaign across strategic French cities
Mélenchon expands autumn campaign across strategic cities while strengthening rural organizing.
France targets five percent budget deficit amid campaign fiscal pressures
France targets 5% deficit in 2027 budget facing National Rally opposition and rising debt pressures.
Mélenchon threatens prosecution as central banker defends monetary independence
Mélenchon threatens treason prosecution; Moulin defends central bank independence from political interference.
Le Pen defends Bardella amid antisemitic writings controversy
Le Pen publicly defends Bardella against antisemitic writings allegations as National Rally maintains polling lead.
Bardella rejects budget support, complicating fiscal governance ahead of election
National Rally leader Bardella rejects current 2027 budget support amid France's escalating fiscal crisis.
Le Pen unveils ambitious economic platform targeting 140 billion euros in savings
National Rally's economic platform targets 140 billion euros in savings through tax elimination, pension reform, and reduced EU contributions.
France's media regulator reviews podcast rules ahead of 2027 election
France's media regulator is reviewing podcast regulation as digital creators gain election influence.
Philippe proposes sixty-five retirement age with sector exemptions
Philippe proposes sixty-five retirement age, forty-five contribution years, with exemptions for difficult careers and capitalization components.
Philippe outlines pension reform raising retirement age to sixty-five
Philippe proposes raising France's retirement age to 65 with targeted exemptions and capitalization components.
Mediapart publishes alleged antisemitic writings attributed to Bardella
Mediapart reports alleged antisemitic writings from Bardella; he denies them as forgeries.
National Rally achieves historic Senate milestone with first parliamentary group
National Rally forms first Senate parliamentary group, expanding institutional presence before 2027 election.