‘I refused’: Telegram CEO Pavel Durov accused of French intervention in Romanian elections

Telegram founder Pavel Durov on Sunday claimed that he dismissed a direct request from the French intelligence to block the conservative voices in Romania before the presidential election runoff. In a series of explosive positions on his telegram channel, Durov alleged that Nicholas Learner, head of France’s DGSI (Domestic Intelligence Agency), personally approached him during a meeting in Paris in this spring.“This spring hotel de Krillon, Nicholas Learner, in the Salon Des Baytles in the Nicholas Learner of French Intelligence, asked me to ban conservative voices in Romania before the election,” Durov wrote. “I refused. We did not block protesters in Russia, Belarus or Iran. We will not start doing it in Europe. ,Earlier, Durov had indicated cryptically in the country involved in the country, writing, “A Western European government (guess that) contacted Telegram, who was asking us to silence the orthodox voices in Romania before today’s presidential elections. I flatly refused.”He said, “You cannot protect democracy by destroying democracy.”France denied allegationsFrance rapidly dismissed the allegations. The French Foreign Ministry posted on X that “a completely baseless allegations are being broadcast on Telegram and Twitter (X) about the alleged French intervention in the Romanian presidential election. France clearly dismissed these allegations and called everyone to exercise responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy. ,Durov’s claims were closed between Romania between Romania’s high-dawn closure between Centrist Swatantra Nikuor Dan and Hard-Right Nationalist George Simian. According to the New York Times, Dan, a mathematics professor and Mayor of Bucharest won with 54% of the vote, defeated Simian, who achieved 46%.Aligned with suspicion of Simian, Trump-style populistism and European Union’s policies, claiming to be rebelled, warning of “dead people” on voter rolls without providing evidence. “We are a clear winner of these elections,” he told the supporters before the results were confirmed.The election follows a controversial period in Romanian politics. According to Reuters, a previous presidential vote was canceled due to alleged Russian intervention, claims denied by Moscow, which allegedly benefited ultraviolet Calin Georgsku, was later banned from running.Durov, who was detained in France last year, remains a controversial man, in an unrelated investigation into the role of Telegram in enabling illegal activity.According to the New York Times, he was accused of complication in crimes such as child sexual abuse distribution and drug trafficking. Durov denies the allegations and argues that the telegram content is more than its legal responsibilities about moderation.