PARIS - Marine Le Pen, the leader of the parliamentary faction of France's National Front, has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights challenging the national ban on her running for office, television station BFMTV reported.

According to the television station, Le Pen is asking the ECHR to immediately annul the Paris court's decision banning her from participating in the elections for five years.

"Marine Le Pen asks the ECtHR, without prejudice to the existing proceedings before the French courts, to oblige the French authorities to immediately suspend the execution of the injunction in order to prevent a serious and irreparable violation of her rights and the rights of voters," BFMTV quoted her party's statement.

On 31 March, a Paris court sentenced Le Pen to four years in prison in connection with the parliamentary assistants case. The court also ruled that she would be banned from holding elected office and taking part in elections for five years. Unlike the prison sentence, this measure took immediate effect and can only be revoked in the event of a successful appeal.

The decision disqualifies her from running in the 2027 French presidential elections or from participating in the parliamentary elections in the event of an early dissolution of the National Assembly (the lower house of parliament). Le Pen denounced the decision as politically motivated and appealed to a higher court. The appeal is expected to be concluded by the summer of 2026.

TASS/gnews.cz - GH