The presidential elections in . “The consequences of its long-term hybrid attack on the country are relentless,” Romanian political analyst Cristian Pirbulescu, a professor at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest, commented to Vima, shortly before the country’s constitutional court annulled the result of the first round of the presidential election due to Russian “finger”.
On Friday, two days before the second round scheduled for Sunday (8/12), reports emerged that Russia was conducting an online campaign to promote far-right pro-Russian conspiracist Kalin Gheorgescu, who in the first round (November 24 ) had unexpectedly emerged first with 23%. The court decision plunges Romania into an unprecedented crisis and uncertainty.
Already last week, the court had ordered a recount of the first round of the presidential election, following reports that the social networking platform TikTok provided “preferential treatment” to Gheorgescu, who ran his election campaign mainly through it.
“Everything is up in the air now”
“Everything is up in the air now. “, Mr. commented on Vima. Pirbulescu immediately after the court decision, even considering the cancellation of Gheorghescu’s candidacy as possible. However, the far-right candidate himself declared that “nothing will stop me or the Romanian people”.
The restart of the procedures for the election of the president will take place after a new government is formed, adds our Romanian interlocutor. “This means that the presidential elections will be held in March 2025, when new nominations will be submitted by the parties.”
Probably “new faces” will emerge, adds Mr. Pirbulescu, including the ousted prime minister and leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Marcel Ciolakou, who came third in the first round of the presidential election but “eventually we may see him qualify.”
Canceling the elections was the right decision
Ciolakou applauded the court’s annulment decision, calling it “the only correct solution after the declassification of documents showing that the result of the Romanian vote was grossly distorted as a result of Russia’s interference.”
On the contrary, Elena Lasconi, from the center-right pro-European party Union Save Romania (USR), which had made it to the second round of the presidential elections, described the court’s decision as “illegal” and “immoral”: “Whether we like it or not , from a legal point of view, nine million Romanians, both within the country and in the diaspora, have expressed their preference for a particular candidate. We cannot ignore their will,” he argued as he hoped to win the second round of the aborted presidential election.
The Social Democratic Party, however, came first in the parliamentary elections held in Romania last Sunday (1/12) while far-right parties won a third of the seats in the new parliament.
The rise of the far right
Was it a surprise that far-right Kalin Giorgescu’s lead in the first round of the presidential elections was cancelled?
“It’s no surprise. In 2000, Romania was the first state in Europe after World War II where a far-right candidate, Corneliu Vadim Tudor, of the Greater Romania Party (PRM), reached the second round of the presidential election while his party came second in Parliament with 25%.
This electorate was absorbed by the Social Democratic Party, which took over part of the PRM’s party apparatus. From 2008 to 2012, PRM was reborn in other forms. After 2015, Putin’s rhetoric began to dominate it.
In the 2016 parliamentary elections, the Social Democratic Party absorbed the electoral forces of the PRM, but with the coronavirus pandemic they were freed from its tutelage. It was expected, in other words, that a far-right politician would reach the second round of the presidential elections.”
“The electoral battle in Romania is cultural”
What is the reason for the rapid rise of the extreme right in Romania? Rage over the economy or the war in Ukraine?
“Contrary to what many commentators believe, the electoral battle in Romania is cultural and not economic. Russia’s hybrid underground war on social networks has already been won! Romania experienced a real economic miracle. In two decades wages have increased by 800% and in the last year by 18%. This is the largest increase in the EU. But the perception that prevailed and was forged on the Internet was different.”
So did Russia’s social media hybrid warfare contribute to Georgescu’s unexpected lead?
“That very situation benefited him. Let’s not forget that we are talking about a country where conspiracy theories thrive – the vaccination rate against the coronavirus was the lowest in the EU at just 35%. In a large part of our Church, something unprecedented in Romanian history happened: the Russian propaganda of Mount Athos infiltrated, reproducing anti-Ukrainian and nationalist arguments.
Another explanation of Gheorghescu’s success is traced to Ceausescu’s ethno-communism. I am referring to an autochthonism and the orientation in favor of natural methods over chemical drugs, hence the anti-vaccination mania that already had a firm footing in society.’
The other parties
How did Elena Lasconi pass the second round of the presidential elections?
“He represents the Union Save Romania party, originating from the anti-corruption movement. It is a kind of custom Center. But, probably due to an “accident” he ended up in the second round. He benefited from the rejection of the Social Democratic Party, which fueled the extremist candidates that ultimately favored the rise of Lasconi.”
Among the pro-Russian parties is SOS Romania, which received 7.2% in last Sunday’s parliamentary elections?
“There are actually three far-right parties: the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, SOS Romania and the Party of Young People (POT) which was completely unknown until now. TikTok played a central role in mobilizing the extremist vote. All three of these parties are pro-Russian.”
