DISINFO: Romanian authorities are puppets manipulated by foreign powers

Pro-Kremlin disinformation related to the annulled first round of presidential elections in Romania. The claims suggest that the European Union (EU) and Brussels influenced or dictated this decision. This claim lacks substantial evidence and misrepresents the actual circumstances of the ruling.

On December 6, 2024, Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election, which had taken place on November 24. This unprecedented decision came just days before the scheduled run-off between ultranationalist candidate Călin Georgescu and his opponent, Elena Lasconi. The court's ruling was primarily based on allegations of significant Russian interference in the electoral process, particularly through social media platforms like TikTok, which allegedly favoured Georgescu's campaign.

The court's decision was prompted by declassified intelligence reports from Romanian security services that indicated a coordinated campaign to manipulate public perception and sway electoral outcomes in favour of Georgescu. These reports highlighted a mass influence operation that bore similarities to tactics used by Russia in other Eastern European nations.

The annulment was a domestic judicial decision grounded in concerns for electoral integrity and legality. The Romanian Constitutional Court acted upon multiple legal challenges that cited these intelligence disclosures as justification for nullifying the election results. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu supported this decision, stating it was necessary to uphold the democratic process and ensure that Romanian voters were not subjected to foreign manipulation. Furthermore, President Klaus Iohannis's declassification of intelligence documents was crucial in shaping the court's response. This action underscores that the annulment stemmed from national security concerns rather than external pressures from Brussels or EU institutions.

While the Constitutional Court’s decision has caused controversy in Romania, nothing is indicating that Western actors had anything to do with overturning the election results. The decision was adopted after the discovery of irregular elements behind Georgescu’s campaign, which pointed to a foreign interference campaign, especially through TikTok and illegal funding. The EU has demanded a full inquiry on Russia’s role in these incidents.

Read other similar cases such as claims that the EU interfered in the Romanian elections, that Euro-Atlantic institutions and the US are behind annulment of Romania’s election, that Romania illegally cancelled first round of elections in order to block the raise of a humane, non-anti-Russian candidate, that elections in Romania are unfair or that The US and EU only support democratic elections when the winner aligns with their interests.