On Thursday, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that France had effectively “killed democracy” by convicting far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Following her conviction for embezzlement on Monday, Le Pen has been disqualified from participating in the 2027 French presidential election. Zakharova expressed hope that Le Pen would prevail in her appeal against the ruling.
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Le Pen is the primary political rival of French President Emmanuel Macron, who has faced strong criticism from Russia for his support of Ukraine and his endorsement of sending European troops to assist Kyiv in the event of a peace agreement with Moscow.
