CHISINAU, July 30. /TASS/. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has accused Telegram of ignoring government requests and posing a threat to national security.
"Through closed groups on Telegram, recruitment for protest rallies is carried out, information about payment for participation is spread as well as arrangements on bribing voters. This occurred during last year’s election and continues now. <…> Unfortunately, there is no communication with the Telegram platform: government agencies receive no responses even to reports about fake items or corruption activities conducted on that platform," Sandu said at a press conference following a meeting of the Supreme Security Council where, according to her, attempts to meddle in parliamentary elections were discussed.
Sandu chose not to answer a reporter’s question about potentially restricting access to Telegram, saying that platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram (Facebook and Instagram prohibited in Russia due to ownership by Meta, which has been designated an extremist organization) are also associated with misinformation threats. "There is a certain form of communicating with these three platforms and we hope that this interaction will be taken to the next level, such as cooperation," the president noted.
Moldova will hold parliamentary elections on September 28. According to public opinion polls, the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity will not be able to retain the majority in parliament and the future government will be a coalition. Among the ruling party’s opponents are an opposition bloc forming around the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova as well as the Alternative political alliance which supports a pro-European policy course. A large Victory/Pobeda opposition bloc was not allowed to run.