France warns Russians against meddling in poll
ACCUSATIONS: A spokesman for Macron accused Moscow of being behind a flurry of cyberattacks on his campaign website
PARIS: France on Wednesday issued a stern warning to Russia against meddling in its upcoming presidential elections, after US intelligence accused Moscow of interfering in that country’s vote to boost Donald Trump.
“We will not accept any interference whatsoever in our electoral process, whether by Russia or any other state,” said Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
“After what happened in the United States, it is our responsibility to take all steps necessary to ensure that the integrity of our democratic process is fully respected,” he told parliament.
The warning came as aides to one of the leading French candidates this week accused Russia of trying to derail his bid.
A spokesman for the staunchly pro-Europe Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday accused Moscow of being behind a flurry of cyberattacks on Macron’s campaign website and email servers over the past month.
“Half of the attacks, and there are hundreds a day, come from Ukraine, which is known for its links to hackers and people responsible for cyberattacks in Russia,” Benjamin Griveaux said, accusing the Kremlin of trying to boost conservative nominee Francois Fillon and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, both of whom urge closer ties to Russia.
Macron’s aides have also accused the state-owned Russia Today (RT) channel and the Sputnik news agency of waging a smear campaign against the 39-year-old former economy minister.
They have pointed to a Sputnik interview with a pro-Fillon lawmaker titled “Ex-French Economy Minister Macron Could Be ‘US Agent’” as an example of Russia’s alleged bias. Moscow on Tuesday vehemently denied the Macron camp’s allegations of meddling.
“We never had, and do not have, the intention of interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries, and especially not in their electoral process,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. RT and Sputnik echoed the denial. In December, the country’s digital security service, ANSSI, had warned of the risk of cyberattacks during the campaign. Defence Minister JeanYves Le Drian had also warned against the “massive dissemination of fake news”.
Earlier Wednesday, French President Francois Hollande asked his security cabinet to brief him on the “specific vigilance and protection measures being taken during the electoral campaign, including in the cyber domain”, the presidency said.
Hollande, who is not himself seeking re-election, did not say what kind of threat the two-stage April 23May 7 presidential election faces, nor did he point the finger at any group or country.