Calin Georgescu, Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of Human Rights addresses during the 15th Session of the Council of Human Rights. (UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre) License.
The recent first round of presidential elections in Romania saw the populist Calin Georgescu won, and he and globalist candidate Elena Lasconi were headed to the second round when the country’s court annulled the results. According to the court, Russian interference was involved. Foreign Policy’s Alexandra Sharp reports:
Moscow has denied any interference.
The court is “seeking to ensure the fairness and legality of the electoral process,” the justices said, adding that a detailed explanation of their ruling would be released at a later date. According to Romanian intelligence, authorities identified more than 85,000 attempted cyberattacks on election websites and IT systems.
They also accused Russia of running a vast influence campaign to promote Georgescu on social media platforms, including TikTok and Telegram, and they alleged that TikTok gave him “preferential treatment” by not marking him as a political candidate, in violation of the country’s electoral laws. TikTok has denied giving Georgescu any special treatment.
Romania’s anti-organized crime prosecuting unit announced on Friday that it will launch an investigation into Georgescu’s campaign. It is unclear if the pro-Russian candidate will be allowed to participate in the rerun.
Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu—who ran in the election but did not make the runoff—called the ruling “the only correct solution.” However, many lawmakers have denounced the court’s decision. This “is practically an official coup d’etat,” Georgescu said on Friday in a recorded message. “The state is in an induced coma.”
Lasconi also condemned the ruling. “The constitutional court’s decision is illegal, amoral, and crushes the very essence of democracy,” she said. “Whether we like it or not, from a legal and legitimate standpoint, 9 million Romanian citizens, both in the country and the diaspora, expressed their preference for a particular candidate through their votes.”
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