Romanian elections in a whirlwind of scandals: vote recount and accusations of manipulation on social media!
Romania’s Constitutional Court is due to decide after the weekend whether to annul the results of the first round of the presidential election. One of the unsuccessful candidates has filed a complaint, which has already led to an order for a recount. Meanwhile, nationalist politician Calin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi, leader of the centre-right opposition, have advanced to the second round.
According to the National Security Council, the fairness of the elections was undermined by foreign interference, including a massive social media campaign. In addition, Romania also faces parliamentary elections this Sunday.
“The number of votes we have to recount is huge. The elections were organised by 74 commissions, each of which has several members, but we are only 80 to 90,” said Adrian Popescu, president of the electoral commission in Cluj.
The Constitutional Court ruled unanimously to recount the votes, prompting criticism from some politicians, including those in finalist Lasconi’s coalition, the centre-right Save Romania Union. Union member Ionut Mosteanu warned that prolonging the campaign ahead of the second round of elections could destabilise democracy.
Accusations of manipulation on social media
Ultranationalist Georgescu, who surprisingly won the first round, described the court’s decision as a source of instability. He also defends himself against accusations that his social media campaign was not clean. “I don’t have trolls. The people who supported me are not trolls,” Georgescu said in response to accusations that manipulation was behind his support.
The National Security Council said the election was influenced by hacking attacks and indirect Russian interference. TikTok, owned by Chinese capital, reportedly favoured Georgescu and did not flag videos linked to his campaign. TikTok denied the allegation, saying it responded to requests from Romanian authorities to flag the videos within 24 hours.
The prime minister’s withdrawal from the presidential race
Marcel Ciolacu, prime minister and leader of the ruling Social Democrats, finished a close third in the first round. He has decided to withdraw his candidacy and concentrate on the upcoming parliamentary elections this Sunday. He has thus avoided taking part in the next round of the presidential elections, where the contest will be between Georgescu and Lasconi.
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