The Constitutional Court of Romania annulled this Friday the first round of the presidential elections of November 24, won by the pro-Russian Calin Georgescu, so the electoral process must be repeated, for “Russian hybrid attacks.”
The high court decided by “unanimity” annul “the entire electoral process related to the election of the president of Romania” when the second round between the ultranationalist Georgescu and the pro-European Elena Lasconi It was ready to be celebrated this Sunday.
“The electoral process for the election of the president of Romania will be restarted in its entirety, and it will be up to the Government to establish a new date for the election,” the court adds. an unprecedented decision in the 35 years of democracy in the Balkan country of 19 million inhabitants.
“Russian hybrid attacks”
In the brief statement announcing the decision The reasons for this cancellation are not reported.and simply states that these will be published in the full text of the decision in the Official Gazette. However, several Romanian media suggest that the reason is none other than “Russian hybrid attacks” in the elections of last November 24.
This annulment, which has caused a new upheaval in a country that has experienced a political earthquake since Georgescu against the odds won the first round with 22.9% of the votes, occurs when in The polls had already been opened in the second round of the elections for Romanians in the diaspora.
The Constitutional Court makes this decision after several intelligence reports declassified on Wednesday by the current president, Klaus Iohannis, confirmed that Georgescu’s campaign was driven by an interference strategy linked to a “state actor”, identified by the Romanian press as Russia.
External financing and bots
A network of 25,000 TikTok accounts and Telegram groups coordinated since 2022 amplified Georgescu’s presence, backed by one million euros in external financingpayments to influencers and advanced techniques to evade bot detection.
Furthermore, another report indicates that 85,000 cyber attacks were recorded against Romania attributed to Russia, aimed at dividing society and promoting anti-Western narratives.
Georgescu has been maintaining that He didn’t spend anything on his campaign. and that everything is an attack against his person and his candidacy.
The far-right candidate did not have the support of any party, He barely gave interviews or rallies and focused its campaign on social networks, especially TikTok, where it achieved hundreds of millions of views.
Who is Calin Georgescu?
Calin Georgescua pro-Russian ultranationalist critical of the European Union and NATO, has caused a political earthquake in Romania.
62-year-old university professor, he is a declared admirer of Vladimir Putin that has challenged the great figures of traditional Romanian politics, leaving the country – which has a 650 kilometer border with Ukraine – facing an uncertain political panorama.
Virtually unknown in high-level politics in Romania, his name was considered in the past as a possible technocrat prime ministerbut this is the first time he has run as a candidate in an election.
Georgescu He worked for 17 years in the UN system, holding various positions in the United Nations Development Programme, the Environment Programme, and as UN special rapporteur on toxic and hazardous waste.
His political program includes, among other proposals, reducing dependence on imports, supporting farmers, increasing domestic production of food and energy, and offering tax benefits to Romanian producers.
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