French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared on Friday that Paris will not tolerate any foreign interference in its presidential elections, scheduled in eight months. This assertion comes amid a new Russian campaign reportedly targeting several potential candidates for the Élysée
Palace. Barrot affirmed on X that "France will not allow any foreign interference in its democratic debate, especially in its electoral processes." His statement was a direct response to criticisms from Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the radical left-wing La France Insoumise
party. Mélenchon had lamented on Thursday evening what he saw as governmental indecisiveness, suggesting that French presidential elections were "open to all manipulators worldwide." Recent incidents highlight these concerns: center-right candidate Édouard Philippe faced a smear campaign regarding his health. Left-wing
MEP Raphaël Glucksmann was targeted through his partner, journalist Léa Salamé, who was accused of bribing media to support his candidacy. Similarly, Gabriel Attal, from the center-right, was subject to rumors about potentially developing Parkinson's disease. Responding to Mélenchon, who cited
a sharp exchange between the Green Party leader and Elon Musk, Barrot distinguished between foreign interference and "a foreign political official expressing a preference or rejection of a political line in another country," clarifying that the latter "does not constitute
an act of manipulating public debate." Earlier, the American billionaire accused presidential candidate Marine Tondelier of "treason against France" for advocating a ban on his social network during the election campaign. Barrot emphasized that France must firmly counter "attempts to falsify
our democratic debate through coordinated and organized online promotion... of ideas formulated abroad" aimed at influencing elections, adding that "part of the solution lies in regulating the operations of major platforms."
