ISTANBUL

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Wednesday rejected French far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s urgent request to suspend her ineligibility following her conviction in a misuse of public funds case.

Le Pen, the head of the National Rally (RN) parliamentary group, had petitioned the Strasbourg-based court for interim measures to temporarily lift the five-year ban that currently prevents her from standing in elections, including the 2027 presidential race.

The seven judges assigned to the case ruled unanimously against her request.

The court stated that "in any event, the existence of an imminent risk of irreparable harm to a right protected by the Convention or its protocols has not been established."

As a result, the ECHR decided not to notify the French government of the provisional measure sought.

Reacting to the ruling on X, Le Pen said: “On the grounds that the infringement of my rights is not imminent, which would, however, be the case if a dissolution were to occur. Beyond this 'summary', the Court is seized on the merits of the lack of effective recourse to the provisional execution of a sentence of ineligibility.”

The request to the ECHR came after a court sentenced Le Pen earlier this year to four years in prison, including two years suspended, and five years of ineligibility. The ruling was related to the long-running case involving the use of European Parliament funds to pay party staffers.

Due to the provisional execution of the sentence, Le Pen is barred from running in future elections, including snap legislative polls should the French president dissolve the National Assembly.

She has also been automatically removed from her role as departmental councilor in Pas-de-Calais.