More than a month after the Constitutional Court Decision no. 32/2024 to annul the elections and less than 4 months before the upcoming election, at least based on current data, Romania is far from clarifying the circumstances that led to such an extreme measure in a democracy. Instead, it is sinking into ridicule.
It is not my intention to deny Russia’s involvement in the November elections. This is supported by foreign press investigations, which have followed the money trail, strong clues found in declassified intelligence documents, and statements from foreign leaders.
However, clues are not evidence but rather lead to them, thus paving the way for establishing responsibilities.
What is missing?
It is understandable that final decisions are not yet reached. It is true that we cannot expect a hybrid attack to leave tank traces, as a colleague from the press mentioned. "Let no one imagine that these attacks are signed 'with love from the East'", as Klaus Iohannis stated.
But what is unnatural and raises suspicions, even in the foreign press, is the passivity of state institutions regarding what was of such gravity as to necessitate the cancellation of the presidential elections.
The prosecutors were satisfied with visiting a few suspects where they found some money, cryptocurrencies, and some knives. None of them, including Bogdan Peșchir mentioned in the SRI document, is in pre-trial detention, and the official accusations are quite thin.
Either the prosecutors are incredibly sluggish, which is not necessarily excluded, especially after the two-word response received by Antena3 to the information request, or they have not found anything relevant so far.
What do we know about the funding of Mr. Georgescu's campaign, ludicrously declared as zero? Who paid the Internet influencers and with what money? Not press revelations, but official investigations. The Minister of Finance informs us that ANAF is investigating.
No law enforcement institution, which should have prevented an attack of such magnitude, has undergone any changes in leadership. Everyone remains untouched, at the SRI, SIE, STS, Police, with no signs of major mobilization in preparation for the upcoming elections.
Officials assure us that Russia's involvement, or whoever it may have been, will no longer be possible in the May elections, yet none can even provide a single argument. What has concretely changed to prevent it?
With Polenta on the Head and Flags Behind on Tik Tok Towards Cotroceni
We understand that Tik Tok is the demonic vehicle through which Russia entered the online campaign in Romania. And from this perspective, the numbers undeniably show an absolutely inexplicable phenomenon. Such organic growth is impossible.
Yet, we see that even the Prime Minister of Romania gleefully climbs aboard the demonic vehicle, in the most embarrassing poses, with polenta, cabbage rolls, and sausages on his head, literally, in an absolutely evident election campaign. What clearer official validation of Tik Tok can there be than this persistent presence of the head of the Government, with flags in the background in his office at Victoria Palace?
So, what about Russia's demonic vehicle? And what about the challenges of Tik Tok, to which Marcel Ciolacu responds childishly, challenges such as those that have harmed thousands of children.
Also on Tik Tok, the new electoral toy, another PSD leader makes complete revelations about election fraud in the presence of the Prime Minister, later dismissed by Marcel Ciolacu as a bad joke. The bad joke is those who dare to ridicule such an important process of democracy as elections.
- Simonis (PSD) reveals on TikTok that "we all gave votes to Simion!" AUR's Leader: Ciolacu lies through his teeth! (Video)
- Ciolacu, about the exchange with Simonis regarding the PSD votes that went to Simion: It was a bad joke (Video)
It was not a joke but a whitewashing by Mr. Ciolacu, who is, isn't he?, not a loser of the November 24 election, but a winner deprived of victory due to his colleagues' insubordination, who, without his knowledge, allegedly gave all their votes to George Simion. And this conclusion remains even if the joke is invoked later. Why would you need it if not to run again?
A poor strategy, if Mr. Ciolacu imagines that only his absence from Tik Tok was the explanation for the electoral failure in the presidential race and the modest score in the parliamentary elections?
According to Mr. Ciolacu, were people upset because they had not seen him before with sausages and polenta on his head on Tik Tok or because of the effects of governance, the lack of respect for citizens and public money, the arrogance on the Nordis jet?
With or without connection, sociologist Marius Pieleanu firmly assured on Antena3 that in case of a new candidacy, Mr. Ciolacu would surely reach the second round. With a polenta hat.
Could Nicușor Dan's inexplicable entry into the race, from a rational point of view, be the lever through which Marcel Ciolacu, with whom ND is evidently very conciliatory, ensures the electoral blockage of Elena Lasconi? Because on the extremist side, the leaders have begun to cannibalize each other, and it is very likely that Călin Georgescu will be neutralized by May.
Let's also add the delay in organizing the presidential elections, which were initially supposed to start on March 23 and were later moved, solely at the will of PSD, to May.
The Inevitable Question
How justified is this suspicion? It is certainly difficult to combat as long as we remain in the paradigm of suspicions without evidence, especially if Mr. Ciolacu decides to run again.
He may not realize it, but if he chooses this path, thinking he is smarter than everyone else, Mr. Ciolacu is heading towards a dead end. What's more serious is that he is dragging Romania along with him.
Regardless of the outcome of the May 4 elections, Mr. Ciolacu will remain stamped, even externally, as the one who annulled the elections to give himself another chance to become president, mocking the trust of Romanians and foreign partners alike.