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France's right-wing populist leader Marine Le Pen says she will run for president next year. That's after an appeals court struck down a five-year ban on her political activity. She was convicted last year of embezzling European Union funds, but possible prison time was reduced to having to wear an electronic monitoring device. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports from Paris.
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UNIDENTIFIED JOURNALIST: (Speaking French).
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: The verdict came as a surprise and has dominated news coverage. Le Pen's party expected her to be ruled ineligible and was ready to nominate its No. 2, Jordan Bardella, as their presidential candidate. National Rally leaders huddled in an emergency meeting all afternoon before Le Pen appeared in an interview on channel TF1's nightly news show.
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MARINE LE PEN: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: "Tonight, I'm announcing I'm candidate for president. I'm happy that the court gave the French people back their right to choose," she said, calling the decision a victory for democracy.
The court also transformed the possibility of any hard prison time into the wearing of an electronic bracelet for a year or less, though it did uphold her conviction for channeling around 3 million euros in EU funds to pay for her party's political activities in France. Le Pen continues to proclaim her innocence and says she'll appeal again - this time to France's highest court. That appeal delays the electronic ankle bracelet, allowing her to campaign freely.
Her political opposition was outraged. Leftist parliamentarian Francois Ruffin denounced the ruling and Le Pen's decision on news channel BFM.
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FRANCOIS RUFFIN: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: "Can you imagine General Charles de Gaulle being condemned for corruption and misuse of funds and running for president?" he said.
But Le Pen's supporters were elated. They say she was unfairly targeted. She has lost to President Emmanuel Macron twice, but he is barred by the constitution from seeking another term. Polls show Le Pen's National Rally Party has never been stronger, with the potential support of around a third of French voters. But the French political landscape is fragmented, and many are also questioning their justice system.
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BEARDSLEY: Out on his nightly walk, 75-year-old Philippe Renaud muses about the court's ruling and Le Pen's repeated appeals.
PHILIPPE RENAUD: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: "Well, our system does seem to be working better than in the U.S.," he says, "where President Trump's actions seem to be completely shielded from any consequences."
"But all our democracies are pretty much in the same boat," he adds, "and the political divides are only growing."
Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.
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