France Opens Inquiry into Election Interference

French authorities are investigating suspected foreign interference ahead of the March municipal elections, in a case said to have targeted candidates of the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) party. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the matter as "extremely grave".

The investigation concerns a campaign that Reuters reported last week may have been at least partly organised by the Israeli company BlackCore. The campaign is said to have targeted at least three LFI mayoral candidates through fake websites, social media accounts and digital advertisements containing allegations of criminal behaviour.

Nunez also promised to publish the full report of the electoral security authorities on the operation, responding in part to a report in the satirical and investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchaine, which claimed that there had been an attempt to suppress the report.

Reuters said it had been unable to independently confirm who was behind BlackCore or verify its headquarters. The company does not appear in Israeli business registers, according to the agency.

BlackCore did not respond to repeated inquiries sent through its website and LinkedIn profile. Both pages were subsequently removed.

(reuters, max)