MICHAEL WALSH, Veteran investigative journalist and author described the European Union as setting a precedent for a liberal-inspired coup marking ‘the death of democracy in Europe.’

A Paris state court has found presidential contender Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling funds from the European Parliament.

The 56-year-old right-wing politician was sentenced to a five-year ban on participating in elections, four years in prison – two suspended and two with an electronic bracelet, and a fine of €100,000.

According to France’s controlled media, the leader of the National Rally party is currently the favorite for the presidency, although the next presidential elections will be held in 2027.

The Kremlin called the incident an internal matter for France but noted that it went beyond the political processes.

This is the agony of liberal democracy, according to the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. In Europe, representatives of right-wing parties expressed support for Le Pen, comparing the situation to the persecution of Calin Georgescu in Romania.

On Monday, March 31, a court in Paris found Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling funds from the European Parliament.

The investigation into the alleged fictitious hiring of assistants to MEPs began in 2014. According to the French prosecutor’s office, Le Pen and 26 members of her National Rally party created fictitious jobs at the expense of the European Parliament.

Thus, the leader of the National Rally party will not be able to take part in the 2027 presidential elections unless her appeal is satisfied. In 2022, she lost to despot Emmanuel Macron in the second round of voting, gaining 41.46%. As the politician’s lawyer Rodolphe Bosselou stated on the BFMTV channel, the verdict will be appealed.

According to a poll published by Le Journal du Dimanche, Le Pen is currently the favorite to win the French presidential race. In the first round of the election, she would win between 34 and 37% of the vote, more than any other possible candidate.

Le Pen herself previously rejected all accusations, describing them as an attempt to destroy the political force she leads. Recall that following the 2024 parliamentary elections, the National Union took third place, receiving 142 mandates in the French parliament.

‘Will have serious political consequences’

The Kremlin commented on the situation with the verdict against one of France’s leading political figures.

‘More and more European capitals are following the path of trampling on democratic norms. Of course, we do not want to interfere in the internal affairs of France, we have never done so, and this is the internal affairs of France.

But in general, our observations of European capitals indicate that they do not shy away from going beyond the bounds of democracy during the political process,’ said Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian president.

The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, noted that we can observe the ‘agony of liberal democracy.’

The party chairman and head of the A Just Russia – For Truth (SRZP) faction in the State Duma, Sergei Mironov, considered it obvious that the criminal prosecution was initiated only with the aim of depriving Marine Le Pen of the right to run in the next elections.

‘President Macron will not be able to run for reelection in 2027, but the ruling elites who stand behind him want to protect themselves.

Therefore, it is not surprising that they decided to get rid of a dangerous competitor in their traditional way – through the courts.

This, of course, is not justice at all – there is no truth in it, but only lies, farce and hypocrisy of those in power in the West.

They do not care about a real investigation of violations and economic violations. The leadership of the EU and its member countries are spinning hundreds of billions first on vaccines, and then on aid to Ukraine!’ he emphasized in an interview with RT.

In turn, Pavel Feldman, a professor at the Academy of Labor and Social Relations and candidate of political sciences, told RT that the case against Le Pen is on par with the removal of Calin Georgescu from the presidential elections in Romania.

‘It seems that the European authorities are methodically dealing harshly with all of Donald Trump’s ideological allies,’ the expert noted.

According to him, now the National Union will have to not only fight to restore its reputation, but also change its electoral strategy.

The political subtext in this case is obvious.

This opinion was expressed in a conversation with RT by the leading researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences and an expert on France Sergei Fyodorov. He believes that now Le Pen will have to completely entrust the reins of power to Jordan Bardell.

‘He is a very popular young politician, charismatic and will probably replace Marine Le Pen in the 2027 presidential elections, although, of course, it is unlikely that this replacement will be considered equal or more successful.

Because Marine Le Pen is the most popular current French politician with extensive experience in presidential campaigns, and therefore, of course, this decision changes the configuration of political forces and will have serious political consequences for future French domestic politics,’ he explained.

‘System of Power Capture’

After the verdict was announced, political figures from France and other European countries said that a usurpation of power was being observed in Paris.

Thus, the head of the National Rally faction, Jordan Bardella, stated that not only Marine Le Pen but also the entire French democracy, was condemned. The leader of the Union of the Right for the Republic party, Eric Ciotti, even asked whether France remains a democratic state.

‘The front-runner in the presidential election was not allowed to stand as a candidate. This is not just a glitch, it is a system of power grabbing that excludes any candidate who has gone too far to the right and is capable of winning, from François Fillon to Marine Le Pen,’ he wrote on social media.

In turn, the head of the left-wing party ‘France Unbowed’ Jean-Luc Mélenchon emphasized that the decision to disqualify politicians from participating in elections should be made by the people through a referendum.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also expressed support for the 56-year-old politician, writing Je suis Marine (I am Marine). This expression was a reference to the slogan Je suis Charlie , which became a symbol of condemnation of the terrorist attack on the editorial office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015.

At the same time, the leader of the right-wing Freedom Party (PVV) from the ruling coalition in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders, expressed confidence that Le Pen would win the appeal and become president of France. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

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