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Marine Le Pen has been declared ineligible for public office
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But is this decision the end of her political career, and will it prevent her from running in 27
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For now, the answer is yes. But the leader of the far-right National Rally Party has already appealed the court's decision
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The second trial will need to take place soon, with the new verdict handed down swiftly
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as the next presidential election is set for April 27. According to this judge, the timeline is realistic, given the high-refer
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profile nature of the case. It's likely that this case will be prioritized
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Decision would need to be reached two to three months before the election so that Le Pen could get the 500 political endorsements needed to declare her candidacy
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The appeals court would also need to reverse the immediate five-year ineligibility
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imposed on Le Pen Monday. But appeals in France can take several years to conclude
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As for Marine Le Pen's current political offices, she will be stripped of
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her local mandate as departmental counselor, but will hold onto her seat in French Parliament
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Members of Parliament can remain in office until all appeals are exhausted
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However, if the lower house is dissolved, Le Pen will not be able to run to keep her seat
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As for a potential ministerial appointment, experts disagree. There is no legal precedent
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While the ineligibility ruling is not common, Marine Le Pen is not the first elected official to face this sentence
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The mayor of the French city of Toulon was served the same sentence in 2023
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as well as Mayor Patrick Baikani in 2020, and the Senator Jean-Luel Guerrini in 2021
