Romania cancels presidential election results amid Russian interference reports
In an unprecedented move, Romania's Constitutional Court has annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election due to allegations of Russian interference. This decision halts the electoral process and cancels the runoff election that was scheduled for December 8, 2024.
Călin Georgescu, who emerged victorious in the first round, criticized the court's decision as an "officialized coup" and a direct assault on democracy. The court, however, defended its ruling, citing the need to protect the integrity of the electoral process under Article 146(f) of the Romanian Constitution.
"The electoral process for the election of the President of Romania will be resumed in its entirety," the court announced. The Romanian government has been tasked with establishing a new election date and timeline.
Allegations of Russian meddling
The court’s ruling follows the release of declassified government documents alleging a pro-Russian influence campaign. The reports claim that a network of 25,000 TikTok accounts promoted Georgescu in a coordinated effort. However, there is no evidence linking Georgescu directly to the campaign.
Moreover, Romanian intelligence services reported over 85,000 cyber intrusion attempts targeting election websites and IT systems during the first-round voting. "The scale and sophistication suggest state-sponsored attackers," said the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI).
Russia has denied any involvement.
Global responses and TikTok’s role
The U.S. State Department emphasized the importance of ensuring Romanian elections are free from foreign influence. "Romanians must have confidence that their elections reflect the democratic will of the Romanian people," said spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has intensified its monitoring of TikTok. The platform has been asked to preserve data related to risks affecting election integrity and to provide detailed information on how it addresses coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB).
TikTok maintains it’s committed to integrity on the platform noting it recently disrupted two small clusters of accounts covertly supporting Georgescu and independent candidate Mircea Geoană. The platform also confirmed dismantling a network of 22 accounts in September, which used inauthentic behavior to spread misinformation and anti-government narratives.
Implications for democracy
This development raises significant concerns about the vulnerability of electoral processes to cyber and influence operations. As Romania prepares for a fresh election, the incident highlights the urgent need for robust safeguards to ensure democratic integrity.
