Romania’s far-right presidential candidate denounces canceled vote at closed polling station

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This article was published 08/12/2024 (363 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s defiant far-right presidential candidate, Calin Georgescu, on Sunday stood outside a closed polling station to denounce a top court’s unprecedented decision to annul the first round of the vote in which he emerged as the frontrunner.

The Constitutional Court on Friday canceled the election after a trove of declassified intelligence alleged Russia organized a sprawling campaign across social media to promote Georgescu.

“Today is Constitution Day and there is nothing constitutional in Romania anymore. I am here in the name of democracy,” Georgescu, 62, told media in Mogosoaia, outside Bucharest. “By canceling democracy, our very freedom is canceled.”

The court cited the illegal use of digital technologies including artificial intelligence, as well as undeclared sources of funding. Without naming Georgescu, the court said one candidate received “preferential treatment” on social media platforms, distorting voters’ expressed will.

Despite being a huge outsider who declared zero campaign spending, Georgescu topped the polls in the first round on Nov. 24, and was due on Sunday to face reformist Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party in a runoff.

Thirteen candidates ran in the first round of the presidential race in the European Union and NATO member country, the aftermath of which was gripped by myriad controversies including a recount of the vote ordered by the same court.

New dates will be set to rerun the presidential vote from scratch.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said in a statement marking Constitution Day on Sunday that “we find ourselves in a moment of profound responsibility toward the values ​​that characterize us as a nation.”

“The Romanian Constitution defines the framework within which the state and political life operate, serving as a shield against threats to democracy,” he said. “In turbulent times, state institutions are called upon to act with calm, wisdom and respect for the law, the Constitution and democracy.”

George Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, told reporters outside a closed polling station in Bucharest on Sunday that the annulment amounted to an attack against democracy, saying Iohannis should “take a step back and respect the Constitution, not mock it.”

“It is Constitution Day. It is a day of significance for Romanians. It is a day when Romanians should have gone to vote freely,” he said, adding that “blood was shed for this 35 years ago,” referring to Romania’s revolution in December 1989 that overthrew communism.

After Georgescu unexpectedly topped the polls in the first round, his success left many political observers wondering how most local surveys had placed him behind at least five other candidates before the vote.

Many observers attributed his success to his TikTok account, which now has 6.2 million likes and 565,000 followers. But some experts suspected Georgescu’s online following was artificially inflated, while Romania’s top security body alleged he was given preferential treatment by TikTok over other candidates.

On Saturday, Romanian prosecutors conducted raids at three properties in the central city of Brasov linked to Bogdan Peschir, who is suspected of illegally financing a campaign to promote Georgescu. The raids were based on suspicions of voter corruption, money laundering and cyber fraud, prosecutors said.

The secret services alleged that Peschir paid $381,000 (361,000 euros) to TikTok users to promote Georgescu content on the Chinese-owned platform. Intelligence authorities said information they obtained “revealed an aggressive promotion campaign” to increase and accelerate Georgescu’s popularity.

There is no clear link between Peschir and alleged Russian interference. Russia denies meddling in Romania.

On Friday, Georgescu’s would-be opponent Lasconi also strongly condemned the court’s decision to annul the elections, saying it was “illegal, immoral, and crushes the very essence of democracy” and that the second round should have gone forward.