On Sunday, voters in Romania will head to the polls for the second time in just six months to elect a new president. This repeat election follows a tumultuous political landscape and a significant decision made by Romania’s constitutional court last December, which annulled the previous vote due to alleged campaign irregularities.
- Advertisement -
The central figure in this heated debate is Călin Georgescu, a candidate who unexpectedly topped the first round of the November election. As a 62-year-old engineer and professor, Georgescu previously represented Romania at the United Nations Environment Programme from 1999 to 2012. He later aligned himself with the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), a party advocating for the unification of Romania and Moldova, until parting ways with its leadership in 2022 after expressing critical views about NATO.
Initially, polls suggested that Mr. Georgescu would garner less than 5% of the vote in early November. However, three weeks later, he surged to nearly 23%, shocking Romania’s political establishment. His populist, anti-establishment messages resonated particularly with young male voters and those in rural areas, who expressed frustration over rising inflation and the governing centrist parties’ failure to curb corruption. As Georgescu himself noted, “People are tired of the status quo; they want change.”
Remarkably, Georgescu’s campaign largely bypassed traditional media channels, instead dominating TikTok, where he went viral both in Romania and among its expansive diaspora. His approach included a grassroots coalition of support from religious communities, unions, and alternative medicine groups, as observed by the Bucharest-based think tank, Expert Forum.
In his engaging TikTok videos, Georgescu emphasized the necessity of preserving Romanian sovereignty, critiqued NATO and the European Union, and called for an end to military aid to Ukraine, even expressing admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nationalist stance. As polls indicated Georgescu as the likely winner of the decisive second-round vote, the constitutional court abruptly annulled the first round results just two days prior, citing “numerous irregularities and violations of electoral legislation,” and mandated a full re-run.
After reviewing declassified intelligence documents, the court asserted, “The electoral process was compromised, with voters misled by a campaign that aggressively promoted a candidate while flouting national electoral laws and manipulating social media algorithms.” The Supreme Council of National Defense also implicated hybrid Russian actions targeting the election. While the court did not explicitly name Georgescu, it was evident he was the candidate in question.
When asked for his perspective, Georgescu characterized the court’s ruling as a “coup d’état”. “It was probably necessary at the time, but praising such a move is challenging,” remarked Professor Ioan Stanomir, an expert in Romanian constitutional law, in a conversation with RTÉ News. He added, “The constitutional court is the ultimate guardian of our democracy.” Yet, many of Georgescu’s supporters perceive the court’s decision as an institutional coup aimed at undermining their candidate.
Elena Lasconi, the center-right candidate who placed second in the initial round, also criticized the court’s ruling, recognizing her own opportunity for victory had the election proceeded as planned. Several experts weighed in, agreeing that the court’s decision lacked clear communication, ultimately “splitting the society,” as political analyst Alina Inayeh described; “Those who voted for Georgescu felt their voices were stolen.”
The situation intensified when Romania’s central election authority barred Georgescu from participating in the re-run, citing his previous campaign as the reason for the constitutional court’s annulment. At that time, Georgescu was polling at an impressive 41%—a striking lead that raised concerns that the court was disregarding the democratic voice of nearly four out of ten Romanian voters. Georgescu labeled this action as detrimental to democracy, declaring that “Romania finds itself under tyranny.”
However, several facets of Georgescu’s prior campaign raised questions regarding its authenticity and the argument for the annulment’s legitimacy. He claimed to run a zero-budget campaign, a claim that seems implausible given the numerous high-quality TikTok videos promoting his message—not only on his official account but also on fan pages. A Romanian magistrate, speaking under anonymity, indicated that Georgescu could face disqualification for not declaring any election expenses, which is a clear violation of electoral laws.
Moreover, numerous TikTok accounts allegedly linked to Georgescu created a surge of activity in the weeks leading to the first round, raising alarms about the organization behind his viral strategy. Declassified intelligence documents revealed over 25,000 TikTok accounts—primarily bots—active in support of Georgescu, claiming that an extensive network of influencers aided his campaign through coordinated efforts on platforms like Telegram.
Georgescu’s videos amassed 62 million views prior to the initial vote, and in a week leading up to the election, follower counts for accounts included in his campaign skyrocketed by 223%. Yet, his videos were frequently not labeled as political advertisements, which the court deemed a form of voter manipulation. This substantial evidence casts doubt on Georgescu’s altruistic claims regarding his campaign funding.
Following his unexpected success, Romania’s National Audiovisual Council sought EU intervention into irregularity allegations surrounding his social media campaign. TikTok subsequently removed 78 accounts promoting Georgescu and tackled over 5,500 pieces of election-related misinformation. Yet, by that point, significant damage had already been made.
In light of the annulment’s consequences, George Simion—leader of the far-right AUR party—has emerged as a significant beneficiary, now leading polls with around 30%. Experts speculate that a considerable portion of Georgescu’s support has shifted towards Simion, positioning him favorably for a possible victory in the re-run election.
In preparation for the election, TikTok has bolstered its team with an additional 120 cybersecurity and misinformation experts dedicated to Romanian elections. The platform also launched an ‘Election Centre’ within its app, providing essential details about voting and fostering awareness about misinformation.
As the dust settles, Romania grapples with the larger implications of the annulled election. Cezara Grama, an attorney associated with the Expert Forum, opined that the situation reflects a broader systemic failure: “Had state institutions acted more decisively earlier, the urgency for a last-minute constitutional court intervention might have been averted.”
In conclusion, while the annulment was indeed a drastic measure, it was spurred by the deep and concerning questions surrounding the transparency of Georgescu’s campaign. These unresolved suspicions underscore the necessity of upholding democratic integrity in Romania.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
