Imprisoned Russian opponent Alexei Navalny called on Wednesday to vote for Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the French presidential election, accusing the party of his rival Marine Le Pen of compromising with Vladimir Putin.
“It is without hesitation that I call on the French to vote for Emmanuel Macron on April 24, but I would like to address those who do not rule out voting for Marine Le Pen,” wrote the activist in a series of tweets.
3/18 It is without hesitation that I call on the French people to vote for @EmmanuelMacron April 24, but I would like to address those who do not rule out voting for @MLP_official. I would like to talk to you about corruption and conservatism.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 20, 2022
Imprisoned in Russia since January 2021, Alexei Navalny said he was “shocked” by the loan of 9 million euros contracted in 2014 by the former National Front party (now National Rally) from a Russian bank. “It’s bribery. And it is a sale of political influence to Putin”, denounced the opponent.
“Would you like it if a French politician got a loan from Cosa Nostra?”
The RN continues to repay this loan which had initially been taken out in 2014 with a Russian bank, the First Czech-Russian Bank (FCBR), closed in 2016. The debt had been transferred to a Russian car rental company, Conti , then resold to Aviazaptchast, a firm run by former Russian soldiers.
“This bank (FCBR) is a well-known money laundering agency that was established at Putin’s instigation. Would you like it if a French politician got a loan from Cosa Nostra?”, launched Wednesday Alexi Navalny, who built his notoriety on his investigations into the networks of corruption of the Russian elite.
The Russian opponent also attacked the “European right” having sympathy for the “conservatism” represented by the Russian president. “Putin and his political elite are completely immoral, they despise family values: having a second and even a third family, mistresses and yachts is the norm for them,” he wrote.
Considered Vladimir Putin’s main opponent, Alexei Navalny suffered serious poisoning in Russia in 2020 for which he holds the Kremlin responsible. The latter denies but has never opened an investigation. Returning to Russia, Alexeï Navalny was imprisoned in February 2021. Last March, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison for “fraud”. Its anti-corruption organizations were banned for “extremism” in 2021.
