EU Country Overturns Presidential Election Over Foreign Interference Allegations [WATCH]

In a groundbreaking move, Romania’s Constitutional Court has annulled the results of its recent presidential election, citing foreign interference through social media as the primary reason.

This decision makes Romania the first country to overturn election results due to alleged meddling via platforms like TikTok.

Romania’s high court annulled the presidential election without a real explanation.
Claiming it was to “ensure fairness and legality”

Now NATO members have to figure out how to spin this chaos while still pretending they truly care about “democracy”

GOOD LUCK WITH THAT
pic.twitter.com/5qL583YWGi

— Richard (@ricwe123) December 7, 2024

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The controversy centers on Călin Georgescu, a 62-year-old independent candidate, who emerged as the frontrunner in the first round of voting with 22.9% of the vote.

Georgescu’s rise stunned Romania’s political establishment, as he had no party affiliation, participated in no debates, and was previously unranked in major opinion polls.

His campaign relied almost exclusively on viral TikTok videos featuring him engaging in activities like horseback riding, swimming in icy waters, and practicing judo.

His TikTok account amassed 3.8 million likes and 298,000 followers, with videos garnering millions of views, according to Politico.

Romania, which has the highest per capita TikTok user base in Europe, has over half of its 19 million citizens using the app, data from the World Population Review shows.

This social media penetration played a significant role in Georgescu’s unorthodox campaign.

The Romanian intelligence agency released a declassified report alleging that foreign entities used paid influencers and bot-like accounts to amplify Georgescu’s TikTok presence.

While the report did not explicitly name the foreign actor responsible, analysts speculated that Russia was likely involved.

“Voters’ freedom to form an opinion includes the right to be correctly informed before making a decision,” the Romanian Constitutional Court stated. “Political advertising could become a vector of disinformation,” it added, justifying the decision to overturn the election results.

This decision came two days before the planned second round of elections between Georgescu and Elena Lasconi of the centrist, pro-EU Save Romania Union party.

Earlier, the court had ordered a recount after allegations of fraud, but no significant discrepancies were uncovered.

Following the ruling, Georgescu accused the court of orchestrating “a formalized coup d’état.” In a fiery statement, he declared, “Today, the Romanian state has trampled on democracy. We wrote history. It is time to show that we are a brave people. Democracy is under attack… The corrupt system made a pact with the devil. I have only one pact — with the Romanian people and God.”

Georgescu’s supporters echoed his defiance.

Călin Donca, a TikTok influencer with 680,000 followers and one of the top accounts promoting Georgescu, criticized the decision.

“I appear on the declassified lists as the largest account that supported Călin Georgescu… And I support him. I don’t back down,” Donca said, speculating that Georgescu could face imprisonment for high treason.

Romania’s political landscape has been deeply divided by the ruling. Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, whose party suffered an unexpected defeat in the election, praised the decision as “the only fair solution.”

He stated, “The Romanians’ vote was blatantly distorted as a result of Russia’s intervention. The presidential elections must be rerun.”

Meanwhile, George Simion, leader of the right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), decried the ruling as a “coup d’état.”

Simion, who had endorsed Georgescu in the runoff, urged supporters to avoid protests, stating, “This system must fall democratically.”

Even international figures weighed in. Andrew Tate, a controversial influencer and resident of Romania, denounced the decision, while also attempting to discredit the ongoing human trafficking charges against himself.

Georgescu has drawn international attention for his divisive views. He has praised figures like Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, founder of the fascist Iron Guard, and Ion Antonescu, Romania’s World War II leader and Nazi ally, calling them “heroes.”

His foreign policy statements have also raised eyebrows; he has lauded Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a man who loves his country,” criticized NATO’s missile defense system in Romania, and referred to Ukraine as “an invented state.”

As Romania faces the prospect of rerunning its presidential election, the court’s decision has ignited debates over the influence of social media and foreign interference in modern democracies.

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