France responds to accusations from Telegram founder on Romanian election
France has denied claims made by Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who alleged that a Western European country tried to interfere in Romania’s presidential elections. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded with ‘categorical rejection’ of the accusations made, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
In his Telegram post, Durov wrote, “A Western European government (guess which) approached Telegram, asking us to silence conservative voices in Romania ahead of today’s presidential elections. I flatly refused. Telegram will not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels. You can’t “defend democracy” by destroying democracy. You can’t “fight election interference” by interfering with elections. You either have freedom of speech and fair elections — or you don’t. And the Romanian people deserve both.”
Although Durov did not name the country directly, the context of his post and the emoji of a baguette led many to believe he was referring to France.
After Durov’s statement, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a response on X (formerly Twitter), calling the accusations “completely unfounded.”
“Completely unfounded allegations are circulating on Telegram and Twitter regarding alleged French interference in the Romanian presidential election. France categorically rejects these allegations and calls on everyone to act responsibly and respect Romanian democracy,” the ministry wrote.
France explained that the first round of the Romanian presidential elections last December had been canceled by Romanian authorities after serious interference was found from digital and financial sources. Further investigations by Romanian officials and the European Commission confirmed this interference, including manipulation of TikTok’s algorithm.
“In this context, the recent accusations against France are merely a diversionary tactic in the face of real threats of interference targeting Romania,” the post reads. It also urged Romanian political actors to “act responsibly” and “defend democracy.”
France emphasized its strong and long-term support for Romania, including helping with EU membership, reforms, and Schengen entry.
“To lie about France, to insult it, is to break this history,” the statement concluded.
Earlier, Kazinform reported on past tensions between Telegram’s founder and the French government. The conflict began in August last year, when Durov was detained in Paris, and has continued since. More recently, Durov responded to claims made by French media and criticized proposed encryption legislation currently under discussion in France.