Romanian presidential election: The second attempt to beat the shadow

May 4 Romanian voters will choose the leader of the country for the second time in half a year. The country found itself in an unprecedented situation where the main combat field became the social network « Tiktok ». Candidates of traditional parties have to fight not only the extreme candidates, but also the algorithms.

Canceled elections

An unprecedented drama in Romania took place last year, after a little -known extreme right -wing candidate Călin Georgescu unexpectedly triumphed in the presidential election in November. A former United Nations (UN) employee suddenly became popular through the Tikok platform and, bypassing Social Democrat Marcel Ciolac, and the then Defense Minister Liberal Nicolae Ciuca, entered the second round of elections.

The Romanian CT in December canceled the results of the election. The reason is evidence that the election campaign was operating in Russian influence operation. The Romanian intelligence agencies provided data that thousands of inactive Tikik accounts were helped by the Georgescu campaign, which began to distribute its contents massively just before the election. Until the election, its channel had just 120 followers, followed by more than half a million.

In March, Tiktok officially announced that more than 27,000 people were removed. Fake accounts that were made by C. Georgescu and Extra -Right Party Aur leader George Simion to influence Romanian election discourse.

American attention

The decision to cancel the election caused a critical reaction not only at C. Georgescu camp but also abroad.

Not only Elon Musk, a businessman, but also the US presidential members and US vice president James David Vence, felt as a Romanian affairs expert. At the Munich Security Conference in February, the latter did not read about security, but about the moods of the European voters, which called the Romanian judgment undemocratic.

Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump, named the electoral drama « Soros/Marxists’ attempt to manipulate the results » on the social network, stating that the will of the nation was ignored.

Just a few days before the new election, the US president’s son visited Romania. The official reason is to participate in the Business Vision 2025 Business Forum. Only business matters, have nothing to do with politics – this is how the visit was presented.

Although the American meetings with Romanian politicians were not officially announced, he was likely to meet Victor Ponta. The right -wing populist is one of the eleven candidates who will compete for voters on Sunday.

Chancedness: There is no doubt that Simion will enter the second round, so the intrigue is one – who will face the decisive duel. / V. Ghirda / AP / Scnapix photo

A busy fight

In the event of a ban on the CC, Mr Georgescu, against whom a criminal investigation into allegedly false information on the financing and assets of his election campaign has been initiated, does not participate in this election. However, intrigue and tension due to manipulation of new media – no less than the first election.

In surveys, Aur Simion, the leader of the extreme right -wing party, is the leader in the polls on the eve of the election. He is a colorful figure. Mr Simion was famous for 2022, when he had attacked a minister who accused Vladimir Putin at a parliamentary meeting of high gas prices in Romania and grabbed him by the neck.

The politician also caused a scandal when he said about political opponents that they should be « publicly » – later explained that it was only a metaphor. He has called Russia the greatest threat to Romania, the Baltic States, Poland, but is now against additional military assistance to Ukraine.

According to commentators, since 1989 The revolution in Romania has never been such a difficult political phase. It is very likely that Simion will enter the second round, which will take place on May 18th. The biggest intrigue is if he’s not in the first round, who will the spear cross in the decisive duel?

The serious competitor of G. Simion is the former Prime Minister Social Democrat V. Ponta, who is said to have excellent contacts with Trump’s family and Serbian President Alexander Vuchi.

The provocative wing is represented by Conservative Conservative Crin Antonescu, supported by the current government and who agreed to return to politics, and a proponent of liberal reforms, Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan.

The latter, a 55-year-old mathematician who has studied in Paris’ elite schools, emphasizes the importance of Eurointegration, advocates financial and military support for Ukraine, European role in peace negotiations, fighting corruption and bureaucracy. He became famous for his citizenship: he agitated for the preservation of historical buildings and green areas, and fought with illegal building permits – 500 cases were brought. 2012 Dan was for the first time for mayor, founded the party four years later and became the head of the city administration for the first time.

Liberal candidates are being bound by disagreements to reduce access to the second round. Elena Lasconi was a candidate for the Liberal Reform Party, but after the campaign started, the party withdrew its support and granted it to N. Dan. This unexpected maneuver caused problems – neither Lasconi nor Dan received a party money for the election campaign due to legal nuances. The Mayor of Bucharest had to satisfy only $ 2 million. EUR 7 million at the budget of the election campaign, when his competitor C. Antonescu was as much as EUR 7 million. euros.

In addition, new rules are afraid of active citizens to actively support N. Dan’s campaign on social networks. Although the USR party as an organization cannot promote it on social networks, individual party members could theoretically do it, but fear new restrictions.

For some candidates, populist rhetoric likes some voters. According to sociologist Adrian Hatos, the country is experiencing an economic crisis – the budget deficit is 9 percent. The general domestic product, middle -class subsistence level is falling and the differences between the regions are growing. Under these circumstances, confidence in the ruling conservative PNL, the Social Democratic PSD and the Hungarian National Minority UDMR, are not great, and populist promises seem attractive – especially when social networks boil for a real cultural war, where the EU and Western values ​​are actively raging.

Battles « Tiktok »

In response to the first presidential election in Romania, a Tikik investigation was launched. According to the EU Digital Services Act, social networks are obliged to deal with illegal content and protect consumers from election -related misinformation.

The platform formed 120 experts Romania’s election working group, which focused on secret campaigns that could influence the election and conducted several attempts to prevent potential dangers. Tiktok, whose representatives were invited to Bucharest, also stated that they are currently in close contact with the Romanian authorities and local institutions.

Romania has some problems, and in my opinion, these presidential elections can help find solutions to some of them.

The centrist Romanian government has introduced stricter rules that clearly define political lobbying and legitimacy of funding. By tightening the rules, misleading content can now be removed from the platform at the request of the telecommunications regulatory authority.

While cleaning Russia’s influence, Romania sent five Russian diplomats in the last half of the year, gathered by evidence that they were trying to establish contacts with extreme right activists and finance misinformation campaigns on social networks.

Tiktok remains the main channel of extreme right -wing communication – out of 19 million. Romanian population as much as 9 million. Uses this platform, and « Tik » algorithms still stimulate emotional and polarized content.

According to Madalina Botan, Senior Lecturers at the University of National Political Science and Administration, players in such an ecosystem, understanding the logic of the platform and creating visual and emotionally attractive content, have a great advantage, regardless of the correctness of the transmitted report. According to her, both Georgescu and Simion, who have long understood the possibilities of « Tik », still receive disproportionate attention.

« I am convinced that we are better prepared, » said Ilie Bolojan, acting president of Romania, alerting possible new hybrid attacks aimed at splitting society.

However, political marginal will not fight the political program, but by manipulating media tools – nowhere has disappeared.

Tiktok is persistently criticized by moderate candidates, such as Dan, whose statements are ridiculed. In a recently published video that uses the soundtrack of the film and the sounds of the landscape, the recent candidate’s press conference, which said, « Romania has some problems, and in my opinion, these presidential elections can help some solutions to some of them. » The Mayor of Bucharest added that he was a victim of many suspicious followers.

A survey of the local media Hotnews shows that old accounts that previously disseminated information from C. Georgescu and his narrative began to distribute pro -Russian and communist nostalgia reports. Thousands of reports with fake Russian Presidential reports were found during the investigation, in which he said he could become another Romanian leader and « liberate » the country.

Manipulation options

The Romanian election campaign enables a scheme used by the Kremlin, spreading liars: when money is published in foreign media or in the channels of opinion formers, which is subsequently pompously retranslated by giving it undeservedly.

The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) found out that Mr Simion’s team members paid for articles in the Austrian media. « Simion supporters buy content in Austria, which is later distributed in Romanian as a supposed journalistic material to impress its popularity abroad, » writes Faz.

According to the German publication, the APR APA APA-AS ORIGINALTIALTEXT-SERVICE GMBH « for money distributes notifications without considering content. Such a message costs up to 10 thousand. euros. Later, these reports are presented on Romanian portals as allegedly journalistic products, claiming that they are « Austrian media reports », although in reality it is only paid advertising.

FAZ gives a specific example. March 20 A text, called « The Romanian presidential candidate, was visited by the Baroque concert with Walter Rosenkranz » through the agency. In the text, G. Simion is called the most promising candidate in the Romanian presidential election, the reason for the visit is JS Bach concert, one of the organizers of which is the Freedom Party (FPö) politician, the Austrian parliamentary President W. Rosenkranz. According to the report, Simion is trying to « regain his compatriots’ confidence in democracy. »

Later, the same text in Romania’s Ziaurul Românesc was presented with a different headline: « George Simion comes to one, the Austrian press reports participation in a cultural event. » Important nuance: The Austrian press was not announced about this visit – just distributed advertising. But for the Romanian audience, it was desired that Simion is so important and respected that even his private concert deserves the attention of Austrian media.