Romanian politics

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

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

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

Romania’s Social Democrats lead in parliamentary vote, but hard-right momentum builds – POLITICO

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Romania’s Social Democrats lead in parliamentary vote, but hard-right momentum builds – POLITICO

The parliamentary vote comes amid a political crisis sparked by last Sunday’s unexpected victory by Călin Georgescu, an ultranationalist, Russia-admiring independent candidate for president. In a potential signal of how the second presidential round could go, the far-right momentum that boosted Georgescu was also visible in the parliamentary vote. In addition to AUR, two other … Read more

Election annulment risks pouring fuel on Romania’s political blaze – POLITICO

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Election annulment risks pouring fuel on Romania’s political blaze – POLITICO

“A part of the electorate continues to believe in old conspiracy theories or developed new ones,” Magdin said. But the man who brought the court case, Cristian Terheș, a member of the European Parliament, who ran for president and received about 1 percent of the vote, sees no conspiracy at play. Whatever the result of … Read more

Belgium’s Romanians poised to propel the far right into power – POLITICO

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Belgium’s Romanians poised to propel the far right into power – POLITICO

On Sunday, Romanians vote in crucial parliamentary elections, with polls showing hard-right parties on track to bag a third of the ballots, riding on the momentum created by Georgescu who surged in the polls out of nowhere last Sunday to secure a shock win. The stakes are high. An outright victory for the far-right presidential … Read more

Romanian court postpones decision on annuling election until Monday – POLITICO

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Romanian court postpones decision on annuling election until Monday – POLITICO

Romania’s top national security officials said Thursday the country was targeted by cyberattacks intended to influence the first round of voting. The role of Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok in manipulating voters is also being scrutinized. Georgescu is scheduled to take on reformist Elena Lasconi in a runoff on Dec. 8. The court decision to … Read more

Parliamentary election will test how far Romania is veering to the hard right  – POLITICO

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Parliamentary election will test how far Romania is veering to the hard right  – POLITICO

While those catchy videos were an unexpected vote-winner, Georgescu’s main campaign themes had a classic populist appeal: He cited traditional Christian values, vowed to stand up for people excluded economically, and said he would make Romania more self-sufficient in sectors such as food and energy.  Adrian Axinia, vice-president of the far-right Alliance for the Union … Read more