Part 3/12:
Le Pen’s case echoes recent incidents in Romania, where opposition leader George Joru Jesu's election results were annulled amid claims of Russian interference. Romanian courts claimed that Russian actors manipulated TikTok to boost Jesu's popularity, citing foreign influence as grounds to nullify the election and arrest the candidate upon his bid to run again. Similar tactics are observed in other countries, with opposition leaders in Brazil, Italy, and even the United States facing legal restrictions or disqualifications. For instance, Italian courts unjustly accused Matteo Salvini of criminal kidnapping for refusing to allow migrants to disembark—a politically motivated charge that nearly ended his political career.