{"id":424905,"date":"2024-11-29T12:19:06","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T12:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=424905"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Recount-order-TikTok-claims-throw-Romania-election-into-chaos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Recount-order-TikTok-claims-throw-Romania-election-into-chaos\/","title":{"rendered":"Recount order, TikTok claims throw Romania election into chaos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Romania’s presidential election was thrown into chaos Thursday as a court ordered a recount of first-round results and security officials alleged that interference via TikTok had boosted a little-known far-right candidate.<\/p>\n

The moves came as the country braces for legislative polls plus a run-off vote between a far-right admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a pro-European centrist contender.<\/p>\n

The Romanian presidency said security officials had detected “cyberattacks” intended to influence the outcome of Sunday’s vote, which saw far-right candidate Calin Georgescu secure an unexpected first-round win.<\/p>\n

Georgescu knocked Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu out of the race, setting up a second-round runoff on December 8 with centrist Elena Lasconi, who placed second.<\/p>\n

Another far-right candidate meanwhile went after Lasconi by obtaining an order from the Constitutional Court for a recount of the first-round votes.<\/p>\n

The candidate, EU parliament member Cristian Terhes, accused Lasconi’s Union Save Romania (USR) party of continuing to campaign online after the legal deadline.<\/p>\n

In response, the Constitutional Court said it had unanimously ordered a “re-verification and recount of all ballots” from Sunday’s vote.<\/p>\n

But the court rejected a separate request by another presidential candidate to annul the first round of the vote, saying the request was filed too late.<\/p>\n

The court is due to reconvene on Friday at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT).<\/p>\n

– TikTok election boost –<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Barely known outside Romania, Georgescu was allegedly boosted by viral TikTok campaigns calling for an end to aid for neighbouring Ukraine in its war with Russia and sounding a sceptical note on NATO.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, a top Romanian security body said Georgescu was granted “preferential treatment” by TikTok that it said led to his “massive exposure”.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the statement, the Supreme Council of National Defence demanded that authorities “urgently take the necessary steps” to shed light on the matter.<\/p>\n

TikTok denied the allegations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It is categorically false to claim that his account was treated differently from those of other candidates,” a spokesperson told AFP. \u00a0<\/p>\n

He “was subject to exactly the same rules and restrictions” as all the other candidates, the company said.<\/p>\n

Georgescu also rejected the claim, saying in a statement that opponents “are trying… to eliminate the Romanian people’s ability to think and choose according to their own moral, Christian and democratic principles”.<\/p>\n

He added: “Attempts are being made to attribute a real election result to any institution, including TikTok, but none of the media and current politicians attribute real credibility to the Romanian people.”<\/p>\n

The defence council also said officials had detected “cyberattacks aimed at influencing the correctness of the electoral process” in Sunday’s vote.<\/p>\n

It reported “a growing interest” on the part of Russia “to influence the public agenda in Romanian\u00a0society”.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the European Commission said it had received a request from Romania’s media regulator to open “a formal investigation into TikTok’s role in the Romanian elections” under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).<\/p>\n

“If the Commission suspects a breach… it can open proceedings to look into TikTok’s compliance with the DSA obligations,” it said in a statement.<\/p>\n

– ‘Unprecedented’ –<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Under Romanian law, an election can be annulled if “fraud of such a nature as to alter the allocation of the mandate or… the order of the candidates eligible to participate in the second round of voting” is discovered.<\/p>\n

“It’s an unprecedented situation” since the fall of communism and the transition to democracy in 1989, former Constitutional Court judge Augustin Zegrean told Romanian channel Digi24.<\/p>\n

“Things can take… a very bad and unfavourable direction,” he said, as the electoral timetable is very tight.<\/p>\n

The country is set to hold parliamentary elections on Sunday, with the presidential runoff to follow a week later.<\/p>\n

Lasconi, who entered the runoff by a narrow margin of around 2,700 votes, denounced the recount announcement.<\/p>\n

“The Constitutional Court is playing with national security,” she said in a statement, adding that what it was “now trying to do is absolutely appalling for a democratic country”.<\/p>\n

“Extremism is fought through voting, not backroom games,” she said.<\/p>\n

bur-kym-fo\/js<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Calin Georgescu won a surprise first-round victory<\/p>\n

-Daniel MIHAILESCU
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