President Nicușor Dan argues that Romania is not the subject of the Preliminary Report of the Judiciary Committee of the United States House of Representatives, emphasizing that references to our country in the document are „strictly contextual,” within a broader debate on freedom of expression.
In a message posted on Facebook, the head of state specified that mentions related to the 2024 presidential elections are purely descriptive and are based exclusively on the response of a single private company, the TikTok platform. „These do not represent and cannot substitute for a legal assessment,” Nicușor Dan conveyed.
However, Nicușor Dan challenges the conclusions of the American report that deny Russian interference in the 2024 presidential elections.
The President recalled that TikTok has acknowledged, in several public reports, that it proactively identified hidden influence networks and removed tens of thousands of accounts and false interactions, also banning hundreds of accounts that impersonated presidential candidates.
Nicușor Dan emphasized that, regardless of the technical conclusions of the platform cited in the American report, the annulment of the presidential elections was "an internal legal act to protect constitutional order," based on assessments by national security institutions and the authority of the Constitutional Court of Romania.
According to the President, the decision of the Constitutional Court was based on documents indicating "unequivocally the distortion of equal opportunities among candidates" and "massive campaign distortion by a single candidate" through the opaque and illegal use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as undeclared campaign financing, including online.
The head of state adds that Russia's interference in electoral processes in Europe, including in Romania, has been reported in official reports by NATO, the European Union, and the UK Government.
"The malign interference of the Russian Federation has not been limited to a single social media platform but is the subject of an extensive manipulation campaign aimed at destabilizing European democracies, an endeavor that has been ongoing for many years in the form of a veritable hybrid war."
Finally, Nicușor Dan reaffirmed that Romania is "a strong democracy," where decisions by institutions made in accordance with the Constitution and current legislation must be respected.
He emphasized that Romania's commitment to the rule of law, transparency, freedom of expression, and the fairness of electoral processes remains steadfast, as does the commitment to the country's allies and strategic partners.
What the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives Says
The President's reaction comes after the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives rejected the existence of evidence of Russian interference in the Romanian elections of November 2024.
Furthermore, it accused the European Commission in a report of interference in elections in several European countries, including Romania, starting from 2023, claiming that it pressured online platforms to censor political speech.
The Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives maintains that the European Commission took "the most aggressive censorship measures."
The report indicates that TikTok representatives told the European Commission that they found "no evidence" of a coordinated Russian campaign to boost the winning candidate Călin Georgescu.
However, last year, the Chinese social media platform TikTok stated in a report to the European Commission that it eliminated six illegal networks influencing public opinion in Romania, alongside those associated with Sputnik, in the context of the 2024 presidential elections, but did not clearly explain how Călin Georgescu's messages went viral on a massive scale before the first round of voting.
In response to the US report, the EU spokesperson for digital affairs, Thomas Regnier, stated that the accusations are "utter nonsense." "Regarding the latest accusations of censorship. Utter nonsense. Completely unfounded," said Thomas Regnier, as quoted by Le Monde.
When Will We Have the Report on the Annulment of the Elections
At the end of last year, President Nicușor Dan announced that the report regarding the annulment of the 2024 presidential elections is expected to be presented, most likely, at the end of January 2026.
However, we are now in February, and the report has not yet been presented.
On November 21, Nicușor Dan stated that he received all information related to the events immediately following the annulment of the presidential election in 2024, as well as during the period when mercenary Horațiu Potra was in the country. He stressed that state institutions must publicly communicate this data in a coordinated manner.
When asked by the press if he received information regarding a possible collaboration between Horațiu Potra and former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, the President confirmed: "Yes, obviously. Obviously, I have information about everything that happened from the evening of the election annulment and the immediate days that followed, the days while Mr. Potra was in the country."