Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has strongly condemned the French court ruling that bars Marine Le Pen from running in elections for the next five years, calling it a move that undermines democracy. Speaking to the Polish Press Agency (PAP) on Tuesday, Morawiecki, who currently serves as the vice president of Poland’s Law and Justice Party (PiS) and leads the European Conservatives and Reformists, expressed his concerns over the political implications of the ruling.

According to Morawiecki, the court’s decision is not just a legal matter but a deliberate attempt to restrict voters’ choices. He drew parallels between Le Pen’s case and political events in Poland, arguing that before the 2023 Polish parliamentary elections, similar external influences worked against the then-ruling PiS government. He claimed that EU institutions and foreign organizations actively funded opposition campaigns in an effort to sway the election outcome.

Le Pen’s conviction stems from allegations that her party, the National Rally, unlawfully redirected 2.9 million euros in European Parliament funds for domestic political use. On Monday a Paris court sentenced her to two years in prison, with an additional two-year suspended sentence, imposed a 100,000 euro fine, and banned her from running for political office for five years. If upheld, this ruling would prevent her from competing in the 2027 presidential election, where she has been considered a strong contender.

Morawiecki further argued that the only beneficiary of Le Pen’s exclusion is Russia, suggesting that Moscow will exploit the situation to question European democratic processes and deepen political divisions within France and beyond.

Le Pen has rejected the ruling and announced that she will appeal the decision, setting the stage for a high-profile legal and political battle in the months to come.

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