ITALY PERSPECTIVE

Rome, July 7, 2026. Italy's press closely tracks the Paris court rebound. Panorama sums up the paradox in one sentence: Marine Le Pen "can run" in the 2027 presidential election, but under conditions that might force her to withdraw voluntarily. The Paris Court of Appeal, through judge Michele Agi, confirmed the guilt of the National Rally president for misappropriation of European Parliament funds—facts deemed 'grave,' involving over two million euros, without personal enrichment, notes the Milan magazine. ANSA details the penalty mechanics: three years prison, two with suspended sentence, reduced from an initial four-year conviction. The remainder is served under electronic monitoring for one year. As for ineligibility, reduced from five years to fifteen months on appeal, it is already 'served,' running since March 2025—which theoretically opens the door to candidacy. The agency already raises the hypothesis of a sentence reduction request: if the monitoring obligation were cut to six months, Le Pen could campaign without restraint starting January 2027, a scenario fueling speculation about her real intentions. Adnkronos emphasizes the court's reasoning, which justified this relative leniency by the need to preserve 'freedom to run' and 'free voter choice,' conditions deemed 'essential to democratic expression.' The agency also recalls that Le Pen has always ruled out campaigning with an ankle monitor, and that she left court without comment, ahead of a scheduled TF1 interview at 8 p.m. La Repubblica, through correspondent in Paris Anais Ginori, stresses the penalty reduction compared to the first judgment, while noting that remote 'monitoring' remains a major political constraint. There remains the Bardella unknown: Panorama recalls that the National Rally's heir apparent says he stands ready to take the torch if his mentor stepped back, the party remaining, with or without her, France's leading political force. A scenario Rome watches carefully, as the French outcome could reshuffle the European Parliament's balance.