Just hours before polling stations closed in Romania, Telegram founder Pavel Durov ignited a controversy by claiming that France had requested him to “silence conservative voices” in Romania “ahead of the presidential election.” Durov’s message, accompanied by a baguette emoji to identify France, was quickly amplified by far-right candidate George Simion, who had already accused his opponents of election rigging.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs swiftly denied the “completely unfounded” accusations, dismissing Durov’s claims as a “diversionary tactic in the face of real interference threats targeting Romania.” A Romanian diplomatic spokesperson subtly accused Telegram of participating in a Russian interference operation, condemning a “viral campaign of false information on Telegram and other platforms”.
As exit polls indicated a victory for pro-European candidate Nicusor Dan, Durov published a second message, specifically accusing the director of France’s secret service, the DGSE, Nicolas Lerner, of requesting him to “ban conservative voices in Romania before the elections” during a meeting in Paris. This message was widely shared by the English-speaking far-right, including Elon Musk.
The DGSE has denied Durov’s accusations, stating that while they have contacted Durov in the past to address terrorist and child pornography threats, they “vigorously refute the allegations that there had been requests to ban accounts linked to any electoral process”.
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