The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects, on Sunday, the completely unfounded accusations regarding the alleged interference of France in the presidential elections in Romania, stating that it represents „a diversion tactic in the face of real threats of interference targeting Romania” and calls on everyone to show responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy.
„Unfounded accusations regarding the alleged interference of France in the presidential elections in Romania are circulating on Telegram and Twitter. France categorically rejects these accusations and calls on everyone to show responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy,” the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a post.
The institution specifies that "the first round of the presidential elections in Romania last December was sovereignly annulled by the competent Romanian authorities as a result of very real digital and financial interferences by actors linked to Russia, and subsequent investigations by the Romanian authorities and the European Commission later confirmed the seriousness of this interference, including the manipulation of the TikTok algorithm.
"In this context, the recent accusations against France are nothing more than a diversion tactic in the face of real threats of interference targeting Romania. France calls on all Romanian political actors to take responsibility and defend democracy.
"As a partner and friend, we remind that France has been alongside Romania for its accession to the European Union, for its reforms, for its entry into the Schengen area, and for its progress. We have also supported Romania's security, sending our soldiers five days after the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine in February 2022," emphasized the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"To lie about France, to insult it, means to erase this history," the message further states.
Pavel Durov, the founder of the messaging app Telegram, stated on Sunday that he rejected a request from a Western government, which he did not name, "to silence" conservative voices in Romania during the second round of the presidential elections, Reuters reported.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) warned on Sunday that false information is being distributed on TikTok to manipulate public opinion in the electoral context. These images fraudulently mimic the visual identity of several news sites and falsely claim that after one of the candidates wins the elections, leaders of traditional parties are arrested or flee the country.
Additionally, MAI reported the spread of a false message stating that "an attempt is being made to assassinate the elected president George Simion (...) exactly on the stage where he will celebrate victory and speak to the voters."
The Ministry of National Defense also warned that a video is circulating on the TikTok platform claiming that French soldiers stationed in Romania are ready to act, dressed in Romanian Gendarmerie uniforms, at the end of the electoral process if a certain candidate is declared the winner. "This information is false and has the potential to create confusion among Romanian citizens. The posted material represents a dangerous misinformation, without any real basis or concrete evidence. It is a clear example of manipulation through the spread of conspiracy theories," stated the Ministry of National Defense.