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Romania begins vote recount after allegations of social media abuse

2024-11-29 14:17:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Romania begins vote recount after allegations of social media abuse

Romania's Central Electoral Commission on Friday began recounting all votes cast in the first round of the presidential election, following allegations that surprise winner Calin Georgescu illegally used TikTok to boost his campaign.

Romania's Constitutional Court ordered a recount on November 28, after officials from the Supreme Council of National Defense asked authorities to take "urgent" steps, saying the social media platform allowed Georgescut "special treatment".

TikTok has denied any wrongdoing.

Calin Georgescu, the far-right independent and pro-Russian candidate, scored a surprise victory in the first round of elections on November 24, taking nearly 23 percent of the vote.

Georgescu is expected to face Elena Lasconi, the center-right candidate and strong supporter of Euro-Atlantic integration, in the December 8 runoff, after both received more votes than the leftist prime minister and favorite, Marcel Ciolacu.

Without the support of any political party, Georgescut's campaign relied mainly on the social platform TikTok, where his account had 1.6 million likes.

In addition to expressing his political views, Georgescu also used TikTok to post videos of himself going to church, doing judo and running on a track.

The Supreme Council of National Defense stated after the court's decision that it has found evidence that "cyber attacks" were used to influence the outcome of the elections.

Georgescu claimed that state institutions are trying to deny the will of the people. Demonstrators protested in Bucharest for several days against Georgescut. Many people accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of meddling in Romania's internal affairs.

The President of Romania has important decision-making powers, including on matters of national security and foreign policy.

Elected for a five-year term, the president also has the power to reject party nominations for prime minister and government appointments for judicial posts./ Rel





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