Far-right presidential candidate from Romania protests to Constitutional Court's decision to annul first round of elections

(MENAFN) Calin Georgescu, the far-right presidential candidate from Romania, protested on Sunday outside a closed polling station, voicing his opposition to the Constitutional Court's decision to annul the first round of elections, where he had emerged as the leading candidate. The court's unprecedented decision followed the revelation of classified intelligence documents accusing Russia of orchestrating a large-scale social media campaign to support Georgescu. At 62, Georgescu expressed his frustration to reporters in Mogoshuaia, near Bucharest: "Today is Constitution Day, but nothing is constitutional in Romania anymore. I am here in defense of democracy. When democracy is abolished, our freedom is abolished."

The court’s ruling was based on allegations of illegal digital technology use, including artificial intelligence, and undisclosed sources of funding. It found that one candidate had received “preferential treatment” on social media, which influenced voter decisions. Although Georgescu was an unexpected contender and had not declared any electoral spending, he topped the first round of voting on November 24. In the second round, he was set to face reformist candidate Elena Lasconi from the Union for the Salvation of Romania.

Georgescu's surprising rise came despite polls placing him behind five other candidates before the election. His surge was attributed to his popularity on TikTok, where he amassed 6.2 million likes and 565 thousand followers. However, experts suggested his online success may have been artificially amplified. Romanian security authorities accused the Chinese platform TikTok of giving preferential treatment to Georgescu over other candidates. Prosecutors raided three sites in Brașov linked to businessman Bogdan Becher, who is suspected of illegally financing Georgescu’s campaign. Authorities claim Becher paid $381,000 (€361,000) to TikTok users to promote Georgescu’s content, calling it an “aggressive promotional campaign.”

On Constitution Day, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stressed the importance of upholding constitutional values, stating, "The Romanian Constitution is a framework that protects the state and political life from threats to democracy." In contrast, Georgescu’s potential rival, Elena Lasconi, strongly condemned the court's ruling, calling it “illegal, immoral, and an attack on the essence of democracy.” The court's decision and the new election dates have sparked ongoing political and social debates on the future of democracy in Romania.

MENAFN09122024000045015687ID1108970562