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The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andrei Țărnea, on Sunday denounced “Russian interference” during the presidential elections, with a viral fake news campaign on Telegram and other social media platforms.
“During Romania’s ongoing presidential elections yet again we see the hallmarks of Russian interference. A viral campaign of fake news on Telegram & other social media platforms is aimed to influence the electoral process. This was expected & Romanian authorities debunked the fake news,” the MFA spokesperson said in a X post.
The founder of the Telegram messaging app, Pavel Durov, posted at 4:30 p.m. a message in English, then sent as a notification, but translated into Romanian by the official channel of the Russian app, in which he insinuates that a Western government has exerted pressure “to silence conservative voices in Romania.”
“A Western government (…) approached Telegram, asking us to silence conservative voices in Romania ahead of today’s presidential election. We categorically refused,” Durov wrote on Telegram. “Telegram will not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users, nor will it block their political channels,” the founder of the messaging app added, including an emoji, in what Reuters interpreted as an allusion to France. “You cannot ‘defend democracy’ by destroying democracy. You cannot combat ‘election interference’ by interfering in elections. Either you have freedom of expression and fair elections – or you don’t. And the Romanian people deserve both,” Pavel Durov added.
The notice garnered over 800,000 views in an hour. Born in Russia, Pavel Durov now holds French citizenship and was detained in France last year as part of an investigation into crimes related to child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions associated with the app. In March, Durov returned to Dubai.
Reuters writes that the second round of the presidential election in Romania pits a Eurosceptic against a centrist independent, and that the outcome will have significant implications for both the country’s troubled economy and EU unity. The international news agency also recalled the cancellation of last year’s election, and the decision of the authorities to ban Călin Georgescu from running in the 2025 race.
France rejects accusations and recalls Russian interference in elections
The accusations that circulated on Telegram have been dismantled by the French Embassy in Bucharest. “Completely unfounded accusations are circulating on Telegram and Twitter regarding an alleged interference by France in the presidential elections in Romania. France categorically rejects these accusations and calls on all actors involved to be responsible and respect democracy in Romania,” the message sent on X reads. French representatives recalled that the 2024 presidential elections were canceled due to interference by the Russian Federation. Details, here. “The recent accusations against France are more a diversionary tactic that hides the real threats of interference in Romania,” according to the cited source.
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