Kremlin says Romanian election was 'strange, to say the least'

MOSCOW (Reuters) -The Kremlin on Monday described Romania's presidential election as "strange", saying the pro-Russian candidate who won an aborted vote last year had been unfairly disqualified.

Pro-European centrist Nicusor Dan defeated a hard-right, nationalist rival in Sunday's election - a re-run of the 2024 vote when front-runner Calin Georgescu was disqualified over what Romanian authorities said was an undeclared Russian influence campaign on his behalf.

"The elections were strange, to say the least," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"We know the story of the candidate who had the best chance of winning. Without bothering to find any justification, he was simply forcibly removed from the race."

Russia has previously denied any role in Georgescu's campaign, and accused Romanian authorities of barring him for political reasons.

Dan's victory was a relief for centrist policymakers in Brussels where there is concern that popular anger with mainstream elites over migration and cost of living pressures could bolster support for far-right parties and erode unity on the continent over how to deal with Russia.

Separately, the Russian founder of the Telegram messenger app Pavel Durov said that French intelligence services had pressured him to suppress voices supportive of hard-right runner-up George Simion, who had pledged to end military aid to Ukraine.

Peskov said of Durov's allegations: "The fact that European countries, France, Great Britain, Germany, interfere in the internal affairs of other countries is not news."

France's foreign intelligence service has denied the allegations made by Durov. The tech entrepreneur is currently banned from leaving France, where he is under investigation over the suspected abuse of Telegram for purposes of organised crime.

(Reporting by Reuters, Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)