Censor allegation before Romania's choice: Democracy in danger!

Censor allegation before Romania's choice: Democracy in danger!

In a current case of political influence, freedom of expression in Romania is again in focus. Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has raised allegations against a Western European state to have tried to censor conservative votes in the run -up to the Romanian presidential election. These attempts to influence the opinions and rights of the Romanian voters were described as alarming by Petra Steger, an EU member of the Freedom Party, and criticized as head-on against the democratic principles of freedom of expression. Steger calls for an immediate end of this political censorship in Europe, which in her view threatens the cornerstones of democracy, such as ots reported.

durov's allegations are supposed to be directed against France, whose government is said to have tried to move Telegram to block conservative channels in Romania before the elections. Durov himself contradicted these claims and emphasized that he would not restrict the freedom of Romanian users. "You can't defend democracy by destroying them," he said. The French Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations and spoke of a distraction tactic. This is seen as part of a major discussion about freedom of expression in the EU, which is currently shaped by various crises and political currents, as Berliner Zeitung reports.

political relevance of the election

The upcoming presidential elections in Romania are under a special sign. George Simion, a right-wing politician who received almost 41 percent of the vote in the first round of elections and is considered the favorite, competes with the pro-European mayor Nicusor Dan. Simion plans to significantly shorten military support for Ukraine and criticizes EU laws as "absurd". In the middle of this political uncertainty there is also the controversy for the exclusion of the pro -Russian politician Calin Georgescu, which has further deepened the gap in Romanian politics. The polling stations close at 9:00 p.m. local time, and the first results are expected at night.

Developments in Romania are part of a wider pattern of challenges for freedom of expression in Europe. According to the Bündnis Germany, freedom of expression is not only under pressure in Romania, but also in other EU countries. This is characterized by unclear legal regulations and possible political interference. In Germany, for example, there are concerns about the definition of "disinformation" and "fake news", which are criticized as potential tools to influence election campaigns.