Bardella will run for French president in 2027 if Le Pen fails

Jordan Bardella plans to be the presidential candidate of the French far-right "National Rally" in 2027 if party leader Marine Le Pen continues to be banned from running, he told Le Parisien newspaper.

Le Pen, 56, who has run for president three times and was a leading candidate in the election, has been banned from running for public office for five years after a court found her and several members of her party guilty in March of embezzlement, Reuters reports.

Le Pen has denied wrongdoing, and has said she will appeal the decision, which she said was politically motivated and aimed at blocking her presidential bid.

Bardella, the 29-year-old party president and a European lawmaker, is not involved in the court case. He has previously dodged questions about whether he would seek the highest public office in place of Le Pen.

"There is no ambiguity about the fact that Marine Le Pen is my candidate and if she were to be thwarted tomorrow, I think I would be able to tell you that I will be the candidate. I cannot be clearer than that," he told Le Parisien late Saturday.

Under French law, a citizen has the right to run for president if they are over the age of 18.
Le Pen and party officials have been accused of using European Union funds to pay National Rally staff in France.