Marine Le Pen has been a superstar of Europe’s far-right movement until a spectacular court ruling banned her from running for the French presidency in 2027.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been sentenced to a five-year ban on running for public office for embezzling EU funds in a major political earthquake.

Le Pen was sentenced on Monday to an immediate ban on standing for election for five years, which would make it impossible for her to run for president in 2027 unless the ban is overturned in an appeal before then.

Le Pen called her ban from running a "nuclear bomb" by the system, after a court convicted her of embezzlement and blocked her from office for five years.

France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen was found guilty of embezzlement and barred from running in elections for five years.

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella has called on people to rally in the centre of Paris on Sunday in protest at a ruling that has banned Marine Le Pen from running for public office for five years.

For generations, Marine Le Pen’s family has held the reins of France’s nationalist party. Now Le Pen must decide whether to fight for her political future or make way for a successor.

Prosecutors have accused Ms. Le Pen and other members of the National Rally of embezzling some $4.8 million in European Union funds, essentially through no-show jobs at the European Parliament for lawmaker “assistants,” who were rarely there and worked as party staff.