An elderly Romanian stretches to cast his ballot during the first round of presidential elections at a polling station in Bucharest on Nov. 24 and will have to cast another ballot after Romania’s Constitutional Court nullified the first round of presidential elections due to alleged Russian interference. Photo by Bogdan Cristel/EPA-EFE
Russian efforts to influence the election process in Romania run counter to democratic governance, U.S. officials said after Romania’s Constitutional Court nixed a run-off presidential election on Friday.
The U.S. Department of State on Friday affirmed the United States supports the Romanian people while enduring an “unprecedented situation regarding the integrity of their elections.” Advertisement
“Romanians must have confidence that their elections reflect the democratic will of the Romanian people and are free of foreign malign influence aimed at undermining the fairness of their elections,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Friday in a prepared statement.
“The integrity of Romania’s elections is paramount for Romanians’ hard-earned democracy,” Miller added.
The run-off election between candidates Calin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi was scheduled on Sunday, but the Romanian court cited an alleged Russian propaganda campaign as cause for canceling the presidential election and restarting the entire electoral process.
The Russian propaganda allegedly elevated Georgescu’s candidacy, which enabled him to narrowly win the first round of Romania’s presidential election and position him against Lasconi in the run-off election.
Georgescu is considered a far-right nationalist candidate, while Lasconi is viewed as a centrist candidate. Advertisement
The Romanian Constitutional Court judges who canceled Sunday’s election in their decision cited Article 146(f) of the Romanian Constitution, which requires the electoral process to be done legally and correctly to ensure election integrity.
U.S. officials agree and say Russia and other nations should not interfere in the Romanian election.
“It is the choice of the Romanian people whom they elect,” Miller said. “No other country or foreign actor has that right.”
Declassified documents compiled by Romanian intelligence officials warned against Russian interference and cited an “aggressive hybrid action” by Russia to elevate Georgescu’s candidacy.
The intelligence documents say Georgescu’s initial election was not a “natural outcome” and instead was due to a “state actor” coordinating a social media campaign to raise his profile and elevate his election chances.
The intelligence report says Russian officials created 25,000 TikTok accounts two weeks before the initial vote and suggests Georgescu’s campaign financing violated Romanian law.
The State Department said a peaceful democratic process is needed to ensure election integrity in Romania.
“We call on all parties to uphold Romania’s constitutional order and engage in a peaceful democratic process free from threats of violence and intimidation and which reflects the Romanian people’s democratic will,” Miller said. Advertisement
