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European DeMOCKracy in Action: Who Besides Le Pen Has been Politically Targeted by the EU?

A Paris court has barred Marine Le Pen from seeking political office for five years. “If political magistrates decide who can run and for whom the French people can vote, we’re no longer a democracy,” Le Pen said at a press conference after the decision. Here's who else these faceless ‘magistrates’ have gone after recently.

Calin Georgescu: Conservative populist politician questioning Romania’s membership in NATO and the EU, stripped of the right to take part in presidential elections canceled after he won 23% of the vote in the first round – more than any establishment candidate. The reason? Claims of ‘Russian meddling’ and irregularities in campaign financing.

Evgenia Gutsul: Head of Moldova’s Gagauzian autonomy, arrested last week by prosecutors’ request. The charges? Corruption and illegal financing claims related to the now-banned Sor Party, which sought better ties with Russia amid Chisinau’s drift toward the EU. Gutsul dismissed the ‘fabricated’ allegations, calling authorities’ actions a politically-motivated attempt to crush the interests of the Gagauz people.

FILE - This courtroom sketch by Valentin Pasquier shows French far-right leader Marine Le Pen during his trial, facing court on charges of embezzling EU funds at the Paris court house, in Paris France, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. - Sputnik International, 1920, 31.03.2025

Analysis

Le Pen’s ‘Politicized Conviction’ Signals EU’s Existential Fear of Eurosceptic Politicians

31 March, 16:38 GMT

Milorad Dodik: President of Republika Srpska, Bosnia’s Serb autonomy. A Bosnian court issued an international arrest warrant against him last week on the charge that he ‘attacked the constitutional order’. Dodik has fought a years-long political battle with Sarajevo over its efforts to join the EU and NATO, and sought an independence vote on peaceful separation amid attacks on Serb interests.

Mikheil Kavelashvili: Georgia’s president since December 2024, Kavelashvili has been dragged through the mud by Brussels, with the EU refusing to recognize his legitimacy, and backing outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili instead. The reasons? Kavelashvili’s suspension of EU accession talks, critique of Brussels’ diktat, and calls for an independent foreign policy, including better relations with Russia.