Romania’s presidential election crisis deepens as independent candidate Călin Georgescu is arrested before re-registering. Allegations of foreign influence, institutional interference, and EU scrutiny raise concerns over the country’s democratic future.
Romania has been thrown into political chaos following the unexpected victory of independent candidate Călin Georgescu in the first round of the annulled presidential elections. The Constitutional Court initially upheld the results despite allegations of foreign influence but later invalidated the entire election process. Reports suggested that “Russian actors” had interfered in the campaign, only for independent investigations to later reveal that Georgescu’s TikTok campaign was actually backed by the National Liberal Party, a member of the European People’s Party (EPP). On February 26, as Georgescu was on his way to re-register for the rescheduled elections, he was detained by police and taken in for questioning regarding alleged financial irregularities.
European Institutions and the Future of Romanian Democracy
The European Commission has launched an investigation into TikTok’s role in the elections under the Digital Services Act, while the Venice Commission admitted that there was no evidence of foreign influence. “Financial Times” reported that authorities detained suspected mercenaries linked to Georgescu’s supporters, only to later release them due to a lack of evidence. Meanwhile, the resignation of President Klaus Johannis led to a power vacuum, now filled by Senate President Ilie Bolojan. With a new election set for May 4, many fear Romania is moving away from democracy. As former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton remarked, sometimes “democratic decisions” require “corrections.”