Political turmoil deepened in Romania on Thursday after the country’s top court called for a recount of all ballots cast in the first round of a presidential election, just days after an ultranationalist candidate, Calin Georgescu, garnered the most votes.
Georgescu, often described as pro-Russia and previously dismissed as an extremist, received 22.9 percent of the votes. Analysts attributed his strong performance to his effective use of TikTok and other social media platforms.
He is set to face centrist candidate Elena Lasconi, a mayor and former journalist, in a runoff scheduled for December 8. Lasconi obtained 19.2 percent of the vote, slightly surpassing Marcel Ciolacu, the center-left prime minister.
The recount could disrupt the runoff, as Romania cannot proceed to the second round without certified first-round results. The Constitutional Court of Romania is addressing the case following a complaint from presidential candidate Cristian Vasile Terhes, who alleged irregularities in the election process.
The Supreme Council of National Defense, which oversees national security, reported on Thursday that there had been “cyberattacks” aimed at undermining the voting process and social cohesion in Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine. The council, led by President Klaus Iohannis, emphasized that Romania has become a target for hostile actions from various state and nonstate actors, specifically mentioning Russia.
The council also criticized TikTok for allegedly violating electoral laws by failing to identify Georgescu as a candidate. Romania’s National Audiovisual Council has called on the European Commission to investigate TikTok's role in the election.
In response, TikTok denied the allegations, stating that Georgescu’s account was labeled as a political account and treated in accordance with the same rules as other candidates. The platform asserted that it acted promptly on flagged videos that lacked required identifiers.
Georgescu, who was not affiliated with any party and had been trailing in opinion polls, appears to have gained traction through his TikTok campaign, amassing approximately 450,000 followers, with many videos surpassing one million views.
His campaign portrayed a tough-guy image, featuring athletic activities and dramatic editing techniques to enhance his public appearances.
The Supreme Council of National Defense noted that the visibility of Georgescu significantly increased compared to other candidates due to perceived preferential treatment by TikTok, although it did not specify him by name.
Romania is also preparing for a parliamentary election on Sunday, which will determine the composition of the next government. The impact of the recount on the presidential election remains uncertain, with Toni Grebla, president of the Permanent Electoral Authority, stating that completing the recount by Friday would be “absolutely impossible.”
Grebla pledged to analyze and comply with the court’s decision but highlighted the logistical challenges of counting nine million votes stored across 42 warehouses, indicating that it would not be feasible to complete the task overnight.