France's Marine Le Pen, who brought hard-right National Rally to cusp of electoral success

Key Points:

• Marine Le Pen faces a potential ban from running in the 2027 French presidential election by the Paris appeal court, which could mark the end of her political career as leader of France's nationalist right.
• Le Pen, 57, has indicated she would support her protege Jordan Bardella if barred from the presidency, signaling a possible generational shift in leadership within the National Rally party.
• She has been a dominant figure in anti-immigration politics for 15 years, transforming the party her father founded by removing overt racism and antisemitism, and rebranding it as the National Rally.
• Despite past electoral defeats, Le Pen was runner-up in both 2017 and 2022 presidential races and was leading in polls for the upcoming election, especially with Emmanuel Macron not running.
• Her political legacy is intertwined with controversies including a conviction related to misuse of European Parliament funds and past ties to Kremlin-linked financing, as well as a complex relationship with her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, whom she expelled from the party in 2015.