How TikTok cancelled the Romanian election

On Sunday December 8th, the second round of the Romanian presidential election should have taken place, with a far-right populist poised for victory and the West braced for a loyal NATO ally to realign itself with Russia. Instead, the election was annulled by the Constitutional Court. The unprecedented decision has sent shockwaves through the country, as Europe grapples with a wave of authoritarian populism which has thrived off social media. In Romania, TikTok is the alleged culprit.

Romania’s pro-western orientation has come into question for the first time in decades, as a fringe candidate who has pledged to “renegotiate” NATO membership became an unexpected frontrunner for the presidency. Prior to the election on 24 November, Cålin Georgescu was relatively unknown even in his own country: the former UN sustainability expert, now a populist firebrand, was polling at around 5%.

Using a similar playbook to other far-right campaigns in Europe, Georgescu has relied on social media – particularly TikTok – to rally supporters to his cause, frequently combining anti-western messaging with conspiracy.

This was reflected in his views, which vary from the eccentric to the extreme. Georgescu has railed against Romania’s close relationship with the West and argued in favour of “Russian wisdom”, although he has denied any formal ties with Putin’s regime. As an independent candidate, his campaign tapped into a base of voters who had been disillusioned with mainstream politics due to corruption scandals and the cost of living.

Using a similar playbook to other far-right campaigns in Europe, Georgescu has relied on social media – particularly TikTok – to rally supporters to his cause, frequently combining anti-western messaging with conspiracy. Along with comments on LGBTQ “propaganda” and climate change denialism, he has expressed admiration for Nazi collaborationists and believes that George Soros is attempting to sink his candidacy. Despite this, he rejects accusations of antisemitism.

Georgescu’s triumph has propelled him into the limelight as a powerful voice calling for systemic change in Romania. Low polling numbers left his opponents unprepared for the scale of his victory, as he achieved a final vote share of 22.94%. Mainstream politicians immediately alleged foul play, highlighting a last-minute surge of support on TikTok and his claims to have run a cost-free campaign.

Incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu faced a dramatic reversal of fortune and failed to make it into the second round, resigning as leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). Nicolae Ciucă of the National Liberal Party (PNL) was also knocked out. Romanian politics has been dominated by both parties since the country became a democratic republic in 1991.

Although control of Parliament remained out of reach for extremist opposition parties, which gained a third of the vote, Romania’s elections have reflected the global anti-incumbent trend and the rise of far-right populism across Europe.

The presidential election was by no means an outlier, with the parliamentary elections on 1 December eliminating the PSD and PNL’s majority in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians, led by George Simion, became the second-largest party in both chambers. Although control of Parliament remained out of reach for extremist opposition parties, which gained a third of the vote, Romania’s elections have reflected the global anti-incumbent trend and the rise of far-right populism across Europe.

Pro-EU mainstream parties rushed to back Elena Lasconi, the pro-reform liberal candidate scheduled to face Georgescu in the second round, with polls suggesting that the two candidates were neck and neck. Two days before Romanians made their choice, however, the Constitutional Court abruptly pulled the plug on the election. Interference by the Russian state was blamed, with the aid of TikTok.

Concerns had been raised weeks earlier about the legitimacy of the election result, prompting the Constitutional Court to order a recount. The presidential office suggested that TikTok gave Georgescu “massive exposure due to preferential treatment”, undermining his claim that he had run his campaign entirely independently. Georgescu’s account currently has 580,000 followers, over twice as many as Lasconi and Ciolacu’s totals combined. Regardless, the result was certified – until the Court changed its mind.

The extent of Russian influence only became clear on 4 December, when declassified intelligence reports revealed that a “pre-organised sleeper network” was used to promote Georgescu’s campaign shortly before the election. A TikTok network of 25,000 accounts was organised through Telegram, accompanied by over 85,000 cyberattacks targeting the online election system. According to the Court, an improper social media campaign backing one candidate (who remained unnamed) discredited the results.

Russia has denied involvement and is not explicitly blamed in the reports, but the strategy was identified as similar to previous interference in Moldova and Ukraine.

TikTok allowed accounts to share pro-Georgescu content despite campaigns’ legal requirement to end 24 hours before voting, and dodge restrictions on political content by labelling it as ‘entertainment’. Russia has denied involvement and is not explicitly blamed in the reports, but the strategy was identified as similar to previous interference in Moldova and Ukraine. The police subsequently raided three properties in Brasov, targeting a suspect implicated in an illegally funded campaign that paid TikTok influencers to produce content supporting Georgescu.

TikTok’s influence has come under scrutiny as the threat of Russian ‘hybrid warfare’, which involves unconventional strategies such as social media disinformation, becomes increasingly prevalent. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently warned that the West faces “acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation and energy blackmail” from Russia and China. NATO and a dozen European nations have banned TikTok on official devices, while the US has passed legislation to ban the app altogether.

As the Romanian reports suggest, this is not the first time electoral upheaval has been caused by Russian interference. In November, Moldova accused Russia of seeking to distort the result of its presidential election and referendum on EU membership. The referendum’s surprisingly close result was attributed to a deluge of anti-EU social media accounts used to influence voters. Protests have also erupted in Georgia amid fears that the pro-Russian government is attempting to cut off the country from the West, having suspended accession talks with the EU. Georgia’s President and the EU have rejected the results of the October parliamentary elections, which were labelled “neither free nor fair”.

Romania’s uncertain political future has wide-reaching ramifications for the West, with whom it has been closely aligned since it joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Romania’s uncertain political future has wide-reaching ramifications for the West, with whom it has been closely aligned since it joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007. The country shares a border with Ukraine and has funded its neighbour’s war effort, providing Patriot missiles and exporting Ukrainian grain. This could all end under a Georgescu presidency: he has promised to cut off support and rethink the country’s relationship with NATO.

Romania’s electoral uncertainty comes at a time when international cooperation is already threatened by Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House. In a similar vein to Trump’s isolationism, Georgescu has cited the need to prioritise the Romanian people over international alliances. One such priority involves a reduction in foreign investors, an ambition that could destabilise the country’s otherwise healthy economy. His response to claims that he is dangerously anti-NATO is that, for Romania, “the most important [thing] is the partnership with America”.

When Trump handed President Klaus Iohannis a “Make Romania Great Again” cap in 2019, it seemed laughable that a similarly subversive figure could end up leading such a pro-European country. In 2024, the year Trump defied expectations (and 34 felony convictions) to win the presidency, the odds are not quite as low as before. Western allies and Romanian citizens alike will be anxiously anticipating a new presidential election, the date of which remains to be announced. The European Commission has now “stepped up its monitoring of TikTok”, but the damage may already have been done.

For many Romanians, Georgescu’s evocation of an illiberal past is portentous, and he has reintroduced a brand of extremist politics unseen in the country since the fall of communism in 1989. The possibility of a far-right president overseeing a shift towards Russia would not only be a severe blow to European unity but a potential threat to Romania’s political and economic stability. The power of the presidency is not to be understated: if successful, Georgescu will become commander-in-chief of the military, with influence over domestic and foreign policy.

In the meantime, Georgescu and Simion have branded the annulment a “coup”, calling for protests. Lasconi posted a letter on X addressed to Trump in which she emphasised her own innocence and expressed fears that the Court’s decision would cause further polarisation. Prime Minister Ciolacu and other mainstream politicians, as well as the US, have backed the judgement.

A Georgescu victory would empower an increasingly influential group of far-right populists within NATO and the EU, whose ranks include Georgia Meloni and Victor Orbán.

This marks a continuation of the polarisation that has dominated European politics during the 2020s, as yet another western ally faces a populist insurgent promising institutional reform and closer relations with anti-western forces. A Georgescu victory would empower an increasingly influential group of far-right populists within NATO and the EU, whose ranks include Georgia Meloni and Victor Orbán.

Mainstream politicians may be heaving a sigh of relief after the formation of a pro-EU coalition that could throw its weight behind a single candidate, but it remains to be seen whether the annulment will help or hinder the far-right. Romania’s reckoning with its authoritarian past has not been averted, only postponed, and this time Russia has a new weapon: TikTok.