From TikTok (Almost) All The Way To Presidency
By Miruna-Antonia Aniculăesei, Read: 3:36
The Bizarre Situation of the Romanian Presidential Elections
From the US to Georgia, 2024 has proven to be a troublesome year regarding elections. It seems that Romania was not spared either, being threatened by extremist movements, in the form of pro-fascist candidates and demonstrations, and alleged external political factors, such as Russia's involvement in influencing the outcome of the elections.
The first round of elections, which took place on the 24th of November 2024, shocked the entire country. Călin Georgescu, an independent candidate, who was a rather obscure politician and government official before the elections, has rapidly stolen the spotlight after emerging seemingly out of nowhere, and, eventually, going as far as making international news after conquering his spot as leading candidate. Georgescu had organised his entire Presidential campaign on TikTok, without ever declaring the source of its funding. As a result, the Constitutional Court of Romania called for an unprecedented recount of the votes on the 28th of November, while the Central Electoral Office did not allow independent observers to be present, an action that was interpreted as a threat to the overall credibility of the process. However, on the 2nd of December, the first round was validated and the second round was supposed to take place accordingly.
Moreover, the documents gathered during an investigation supported by the Supreme Council of National Defence and the Constitutional Court of Romania on the legitimacy of Georgescu's campaign had been declassified by President Klaus Iohannis on the 4th of December, in an unexpected turn of events. The findings of the five documents show how, on Telegram and Discord channels, his supporters were discussing ways of avoiding being blocked by the social media app TikTok. They also reveal how the candidate bribed 130 influencers to promote him and used 25.000 accounts, believed to be coordinated by a state actor, as a means of spreading his pro-Russian propaganda on TikTok, reaching a wide audience. While Russia had previously denied being involved in the campaign, claiming that it is not in their nature to meddle in the affairs of other countries, the investigation unveiled the fact that Russian talk-shows supported what was portrayed as an inevitable triumph of Russophile forces within the elections, as well as attempts at hacking the websites of the Central Electoral Office, Permanent Electoral Authority and Electoral Register.
Not only has Călin Georgescu funded his campaign with the help of extralegal factors, but, like other Far-Right politicians, he has also painted his public image as a proud “anti-system”, anti-Occident, anti-EU and anti-NATO candidate. However, resurfaced documents challenged his so-called nonconformist stance. His presence in the system can be traced back to the 90s, having worked as a lobbyist for the Social Democratic Party, one of the first political parties to be established post-1989. Furthermore, Georgescu made several remarks in which he explicitly manifested sympathy for members of the Iron Guard, the Fascist organisation of interwar Romania. For example, as a guest on the Antena 3 TV channel, he glorified Fascist historical figures, such as Codrin Zelea Codreanu, founder and leader of the Iron Guard movement, or Ion Antonescu, the Marshall responsible for the Romanian Holocaust. The politician has also managed to portray his conspiracy theorist side by making rather outrageous remarks. He has denied both scientific realities, such as the chemical formula of water and the importance of wind energy, and historical realities, constructing his own version of national myths. For instance, he claimed that the Romanian language was formed before Latin, striking a chord with many nationalist supporters. Other blunders of his include claims such as sodas containing nanochips or COVID-19 not existing due to not being visible to the human eye.
To outline the overall social situation, the second round of the elections was cancelled on the 6th of December by the Constitutional Court of Romania, two days before the official date, leading to a breeding ground for great popular turmoil. The decision itself was considered anti-democratic, further escalating the tense atmosphere caused by the initial results. From the day following the first round, citizens, most of whom were students, gathered in Bucharest and later in other university centres to protest against what was perceived as a Fascist threat. The protestors used messages inspired by the 1989 Revolution, as a way of reminding the general public of the ideals they fought for. Nevertheless, Georgescu's success encouraged other neo-fascists to show their true colours by organising a commemoration of Codrin Zelea Codreanu on the 30th of November, one day before the Parliamentary elections.
The current political crisis within Romania, caused by a tangible resurgence in nationalism and anti-democratic behavior in the wake of a “disinformation campaign”, along with foreign intrusive interference, sends an urgent alarm to the rest of Europe that should not be ignored or underestimated. Democracies are being threatened by Far-Right movements, who appear to lack a strong enough opposition, all while external factors gain more influence and political power. As for now, Romania’s unclear future will be decided once the new rounds of elections take place. Until then, President Klaus Iohannis will remain in power, and the current government will attempt to keep extremists and anti-EU candidates at bay.
