The Constitutional Court of Romania on Thursday asked the Central Electoral Office to vote count of the first round of presidential electionswon by the ultranationalist and pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu.
An outspoken admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, he has sparked concern over his criticism of the European Union and NATO, which has sparked speculation about a possible Russian interference in his rise.
The portal Digi24.ro adds that the Constitutional Court has moved from today to tomorrow, Friday, the session during which it plans to examine two appeals which request the cancellation of results.
The decision to recount the 9.4 million votes cast last Sunday this is new and it may also affect which candidates will compete in the runoff and the election date itself.
Illegal payments to influencers
Furthermore, the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania (AEP) on Thursday asked the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate Georgescu given the suspicions she raises that did not disclose expenses or contributions in her campaign and that Russia could be behind her.
Georgescu, who against all expectations won the first round of the presidential elections with almost 23% of the votes, He told the AEP he had no contributions or expenses.
The AEP revealed this Wednesday the expenses of the presidential candidates and Georgescu’s non-existent expenses contrast with the more than three million euros invested by Elena Lasconi, the pro-European candidate with whom she will face in the second round on December 8 .
The electoral authority also focused on irregularities such as the distribution of posters without it being clear that they had electoral content and possible illegal payments to influencers.
The ultra candidate focused his campaign on social media, notably TikTok, where his videos were viewed hundreds of millions of times as part of a well-organized strategy that included influencers who replicated his messages, according to an analysis of think tank Expert forum.
Georgescu, 62, went from around 30,000 subscribers in September to more than 360,000 today on TitTok, in a “sudden” and “artificially created” visibility, according to this study.
The AEP requested the collaboration of National Tax Administration Agency (ANAF) to check whether illegal payments have been made to influencers which promoted political messages.
Who is Calin Georgescu?
Calin Georgescua pro-Russian ultranationalist critical of the European Union and NATO, caused a political earthquake in Romania without the support of any party and with a campaign centered on viral videos on TikTok.
Georgescu, a 62-year-old university professor, He wasn’t even invited to the debates televised presidential elections because no poll gave him a chance of reaching the second presidential round.
Supported almost exclusively on social networks like TikTok, where it has around 200,000 subscribers, and on digital strategies, this declared admirer of Vladimir Putin challenged the major figures of traditional Romanian politics, leaving the country – which has a 650 kilometer border with Ukraine – facing an uncertain political panorama.
Almost unknown in high-level politics in Romania, his name was once considered a possible Technocrat Prime Ministerbut this is the first time he has presented himself as a candidate in an election.
Georgescu He worked for 17 years in the United Nations system, serving in various positions within the United Nations Development Program, the Environment Program and as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Toxic and Hazardous Wastes.
His political program includes, among other proposals, reducing dependence on imports, supporting farmers, increasing domestic production of food and energy and offering tax benefits to Romanian producers.
Support from the far right
After being eliminated in the first round, George Simionleader of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), has already announced his support for Georgescu in the second round.
Simion and Georgescu have clashed in the past because even for the national-populist AUR, Georgescu’s positions are excessive and he distances himself from his praise of historical figures responsible for the Romanian Holocaust, such as Ion Antonescu and Corneliu Zelea Codreanu .
In 2022 Georgescu supported the pro-Nazi National Legionary State of Romania (1940-1941) by ensuring that the legionnaires “also do good deeds” and that they can be considered “heroes” and “martyrs”.
Although Georgescu never joined the AUR, his political career began as a possible candidate for the party’s prime ministership, in 2020 and 2021.
