Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik said on Monday that the conviction of Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, was politically motivated, just as he claims his own legal troubles are.
“Marine Le Pen was convicted because she is a threat to a system that does not know how to lose. Like in my case, the ruling was not based on law but on politics. She, like me, is paying the price for having the people’s support, which they cannot defeat in elections,” Dodik wrote on social media platform X.
He accused the judiciary in both cases of being a “tool for those who fear democracy because they know they cannot win against us in fair elections.”
“They are trying to erase us with court rulings instead of defeating us with arguments. When will this stop? Until the last democratic leader is convicted? Je suis Marine,” Dodik added.
A Paris court found Le Pen guilty of misusing European Parliament funds and barred her from running for public office for five years.
In February, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced Dodik to one year in prison and banned him from holding public office for six years for failing to implement decisions of the international high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Since leaving Israel on March 27, where he attended an antisemitism conference, Dodik’s whereabouts remain unknown. He has since communicated only via X.
The Bosnian court has requested Interpol to issue a red notice for Dodik, stating that he is unavailable to judicial authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he is accused of “attacking the constitutional order.”
A French court has found Le Pen guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds, resulting in a five-year ban from holding public office. This ruling casts serious doubt on her ability to participate in the 2027 presidential election, where she was considered a leading contender. In addition to the ban, she received a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, and a substantial fine. Le Pen and her legal team have declared their intention to appeal the court’s decision, claiming it is politically motivated.
The verdict has triggered strong reactions both within France and internationally. Supporters and fellow far-right politicians have criticized the ruling, alleging political interference. The situation has created uncertainty regarding the future of the National Rally party and the broader far-right movement in France.
