Jordan Bardella, president of France’s far-right National Rally party, has announced he plans to run for president in 2027 if Marine Le Pen, the party’s leader, is unable to do so,

he told Le Parisien newspaper.

Le Pen, 56, a three-time presidential candidate and a prominent contender for the upcoming election, was recently barred from holding public office for five years. This follows a court ruling in March that found her and several party members guilty of misappropriating funds.

Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing, calling the verdict a politically motivated attempt to derail her presidential ambitions. She has pledged to appeal the decision.

Bardella, 29, who also serves as a European lawmaker, was not implicated in the court case. Until now, he had avoided directly addressing whether he would step in should Le Pen be unable to run.

Speaking to Le Parisien on Saturday evening, Bardella clarified his position: "There is no ambiguity about the fact that Marine Le Pen is my candidate. But if she is prevented from running, I think I can tell you that I would be the candidate. I cannot be clearer than that."

He added, "Marine is presumed innocent, and we will continue to exhaust all possible avenues to proclaim our innocence."

Under French law, anyone over the age of 18 is eligible to run for the presidency.

The charges against Le Pen and her party involve allegations that they used European Union funds to pay National Rally staff working in France. Photo by European Parliament from EU, Wikimedia commons.