Romania

Report ties Romanian liberals to TikTok campaign that fueled pro-Russia candidate – POLITICO

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Report ties Romanian liberals to TikTok campaign that fueled pro-Russia candidate – POLITICO

The center-right Romanian National Liberal Party paid for a campaign on TikTok that ended up favoring far-right independent candidate Călin Georgescu, a new report from investigative outlet snoop.ro indicates. Georgescu was catapulted from obscurity into the lead in the first round of voting in the Romanian presidential election on Nov. 24. But the country’s top constitutional court … Read more

TikTok influencers flee Romania amid tax probe into their election role – POLITICO

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TikTok influencers flee Romania amid tax probe into their election role – POLITICO

“This investigation will also assess any causal links between those payments and a particular candidate in the Romanian presidential election,” said Toni Greblă, the head of the electoral office, about the tax probes. One key figure under investigation is Bogdan Peșchir, who allegedly funded the influencers on TikTok with €1 million. Last week, authorities raided … Read more

Romania and Bulgaria get the Schengen green light – POLITICO

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Romania and Bulgaria get the Schengen green light – POLITICO

Romania and Bulgaria will as of Jan. 1 become full members of the Schengen free-travel zone, EU interior ministers agreed Thursday. The green light follows Austria’s decision on Monday to drop its veto against both countries’ accession. The countries were supposed to join the Schengen zone in 2023 along with Croatia, but that deal unraveled … Read more

Russia has learned how to influence elections, EU’s top diplomat warns – POLITICO

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Russia has learned how to influence elections, EU’s top diplomat warns – POLITICO

BRUSSELS — The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, says Russia has learned how to influence elections through new technologies. “I see the examples from Romania, but also other parts, that [the] Russians have really cracked the code on how to influence elections,” Kallas said at POLITICO’s P28 event Tuesday evening. Responding to a question about … Read more

Prosecutors raid properties of key Georgescu backer in Romania election probe – POLITICO

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Prosecutors raid properties of key Georgescu backer in Romania election probe – POLITICO

Georgescu is an ultranationalist who has no party and was a little-known political figure until he shot into the lead in the first round of voting after what authorities said was a coordinated foreign hybrid attack attempting to sway the election.  Prosecutors raided three properties in the city of Brașov, in the mountainous Transylvania region, … Read more

What the hell is going on? – POLITICO

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What the hell is going on? – POLITICO

President Iohannis received evidence from the secret intelligence services indicating that both state and non-state actors had interfered in the election, and naming Russia as responsible for a series of aggressive hybrid attacks. The U.S. endorsed the findings of Russian involvement. Acting on the intelligence, Iohannis declassified secret files that alleged Georgescu had unlawfully benefited from … Read more

Romanian court cancels presidential election amid Russian influence fears – POLITICO

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Romanian court cancels presidential election amid Russian influence fears – POLITICO

“Today is the moment when the Romanian state trampled over democracy. God, the Romanian people, the truth and the law will prevail and will punish those who are guilty of destroying our democracy,” she said immediately after the annulment. Nicolae Ciucă, the head of the Romanian senate and the National Liberal Party’s presidential candidate in … Read more

Romania’s pro-Europeans fear Putin is pushing them back to dictatorship  – POLITICO

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Romania’s pro-Europeans fear Putin is pushing them back to dictatorship  – POLITICO

According to the latest polling from Atlas Intel, Georgescu is on 47 percent, a lead of four points over Lasconi on 43 percent support. Georgescu’s dramatic transformation has shocked Romania’s Western allies, with analysts warning that Russian bots may have amplified his campaign on social media in a highly targeted and effective influence operation.  Speaking … Read more

European Commission orders TikTok to preserve all data on Romanian election – POLITICO

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European Commission orders TikTok to preserve all data on Romanian election – POLITICO

The new step follows the release of the declassification of Romanian intelligence documents on Wednesday, which alleged that paid influencers had boosted the account of ultranationalist Călin Georgescu in the lead-up to the first round of the Romanian presidential election. The decision should help “investigators establish the facts,” said Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s new … Read more

Romanian pro-EU parties unite to crowd out far-right candidate Georgescu – POLITICO

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Romanian pro-EU parties unite to crowd out far-right candidate Georgescu – POLITICO

The coalition means that the four parties, and the ethnic minority representatives, will together hold a majority in parliament and will be able to push for a prime minister from among their ranks. There will still be further talks about what the parliamentary coalition’s governance aims will be, and who will be prime minister, though … Read more