Factbox-Reactions to French far-right leader Le Pen's graft conviction

PARIS (Reuters) -Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), was handed a five-year ban from running for public office after being convicted on Monday of embezzlement, almost certainly preventing her planned run for France's presidency in 2027.

Here are political reactions from France and other parts of the world to the sentence.

JORDAN BARDELLA, NATIONAL RALLY PRESIDENT

"Today it is not only Marine Le Pen who was unjustly condemned: It was French democracy that was killed."

ERIC CIOTTI, FORMER PRESIDENT OF CENTRE-RIGHT REPUBLICANS

"The democratic destiny of our nation confiscated by an outrageous judicial cabal. The favoured candidate in the presidential election prevented from running. This is not a simple dysfunction. It is a system to capture power that systematically throws aside any candidate that is too far to the right and who has a chance of winning."

ERIC ZEMMOUR, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE'S FAR-RIGHT RECONQUEST PARTY

"It is not for judges to decide who the people must vote for. Whatever our disagreements, Marine Le Pen is legitimate to run for the vote."

FABIEN ROUSSEL, NATIONAL SECRETARY OF FRENCH COMMUNIST PARTY

"Ms. Le Pen is a politician who demands firmness on the part of the judiciary! Respect the judicial system then."

FRANCE UNBOWED, FAR-LEFT PARTY

"France Unbowed has never expected to use the courts as a way to get rid of the National Rally. We fight them at the ballot box and in the streets, with the mobilisation of the French people, as we did during the 2024 legislative elections. We will fight again tomorrow in the polls, whoever is their candidate."

MARION MARECHAL, LE PEN'S NIECE AND FAR-RIGHT EUROPEAN DEPUTY

"Marine Le Pen brought our camp on the path to victory. That is the only thing she is guilty of, and that is why she was convicted."

MATTEO SALVINI, ITALY'S FAR-RIGHT DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

"People who are afraid of the judgment of the voters are often reassured by the judgment of the courts. In Paris they have condemned Marine Le Pen and would like to exclude her from political life - an ugly film that we are also seeing in other countries such as Romania. We will not be intimidated, we will not stop: Full steam ahead my friend!"

DMITRY PESKOV, RUSSIA'S KREMLIN SPOKESMAN

"Well, indeed, more and more European capitals are going down the path of trampling over democratic norms. Of course, we do not want to interfere in France's internal affairs, we have never done so ... But in general, our observations of European capitals show that they are not at all reluctant to go beyond democracy during the political process."

GEERT WILDERS, DUTCH FAR-RIGHT LEADER

"I am shocked by the incredible tough verdict against (Marine Le Pen). I support and believe in her 100% and I trust she will win the appeal and become President of France."

GEORGE SIMION, HARD-RIGHT ROMANIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

"Targeting or annihilating your political opponent by any means is straight out of the instruction manual of totalitarian regimes. This happened today in (France)."

JUERGEN HARDT, CONSERVATIVE SENIOR GERMAN LAWMAKER

"As a Member of the European Parliament, Marine Le Pen saw the European Union only as a self-service store with which she could finance herself and her party. The French court is right to put a stop to her political ambitions... Le Pen's fate should be a warning to all corrupt politicians on the left and right fringes: In a democratic nation of law, fraud and corruption always come to light at some point."

(Reporting by Makini Brice and Gianluca Lo Nostro; additional reporting by Gleb Stolyarov in Moscow, Crispian Balmer in Rome, Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam and Andreas Rinke in Berlin; editing by Mark Heinrich and Gareth Jones)