Romania: Accusations of Russia and France Interference in Presidential Elections via Telegram

Hours before the polls closed for Romania’s presidential elections, Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, indirectly accused France of attempting to interfere in the electoral process by requesting the removal of certain ‘conservative’ messages from the platform. In a post on Telegram, the 40-year-old Russian-born entrepreneur, who became a French citizen in 2021, pointed fingers at a ‘Western European government’ for meddling in Romania’s elections. Using an emoji hint, he left it to users to guess which government was involved. According to Durov, this government approached Telegram asking them to silence conservative voices ahead of the Romanian presidential elections. However, Durov refused any action, stating that Telegram would not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied any involvement, calling the allegations ‘completely baseless.’ France rejected these claims outright and urged all parties to respect Romanian democracy. Meanwhile, the Romanian government reported widespread disinformation campaigns on social media platforms like Telegram, pointing out signs of Russian interference aimed at influencing the electoral process. These developments come as exit polls indicate George Simion, a supporter of Donald Trump, declared himself the new president, citing diaspora votes and alleging fraud.