Constitutional cancels presidential elections in Romania, following charges of Russian intervention

The Constitution made that decision Friday, saying the government must now decide on the date of the new presidential elections.

 

The far-right pro-responsor, Calin Georgescu, rocked by winning the first round of presidential elections. But there was evidence that a major cyber campaign, orchestrated by Moscow, in TikTok in Georgescu's favourite was not observed by Romanian authorities.

Georgescu was expected to face a run-off with the centre's pro-European candidate, Elena Lasconi, on Sunday, December 8th.

 

The vote had started in the diaspora in Romania's presidential runoff, which was seen as a referendum on the country's future in NATO and the European Union, because there have been many accusations that Russia has intervened in the elections.

Allegations of Russian intervention brought thousands of Romanians through the country's streets to protest in support of the country's membership in the Euro-Atlantic community.

 

 

Romanian authorities had decided to grant the large diaspora two and a half days to vote, to avoid long receptions in the country's foreign diplomatic missions.

Georgescu appeared favoured in winning the run-off, but in most recent polls Lasconi passed it, after Romania's Supreme National Defence Council (CSAT) published classified documents Wednesday, revealing that the country was in the target of a <x1 hybrid aggressive action by Russia”, which led to a surprising victory of the prorus candidate.

 

Lasconi, a former TV host and head of the small town of Campulung, had a two-percent advantage over Georgescutt, according to a poll published by AltasIntel on Thursday.

Georgescu's victory in the first round sparked fears and sparked protests, especially among young Romanians, for the country's democratic future.

 

On Thursday, about 3,000 people marched in Budapest, demanding Romania stay on its pro-European path. They later gathered in the capital square, where they cheered “Lyri” and “Europe”.

According to declassified documents, Romania's intelligence service believes Georgescu has been promoted massively to TikTok with support from Russia, through numerous methods, including co-ordinated accounts, algorithms to increase his presence on the platform and pay promotion.

 

The documents explain how Georgescu's popularity rose from 1 per cent just before the race to 22 per cent through a wide manipulation operation involving influence and deceived Romanian institutions as well as ordinary voters.

Declarated documents show that influences in TikTok were recruited to promote Georgescun, both directly and indirectly supporting him through neutral messages containing related to him.

 

Romanian intelligence services hinted that large sums of money have been spent on the operation. Georgescu has declared before Romanian election authorities that he has spent nothing on his campaign.

The intelligence service linked the operation to Russia, stressing that access data for Romania's official election sites was published on Russian cybercrime platforms. /Radio Free Europe