The social media-driven success of a pro-Putin candidate in the Romanian elections has confirmed that Russia’s hybrid warfare tactics are a threat and a wake-up call for all democratic states, writes the British newspaper.
The famous 2024 was the largest electoral year in history, with elections in 72 countries involving 3.7 billion people. In Romania, unfortunately, it risks being remembered as a year in which democracy was rather derailed than celebrated, writes The Guardian’s editorial leadership, the most read daily and the second website in the UK, in terms of audience, after the BBC, according to Press Gazette.
The unprecedented decision last week by the Constitutional Court to annul the results of the first round of the presidential elections, amid accusations of Russian interference, is a milestone in the increasingly confrontational arena of East European politics.
According to declassified intelligence reports, Călin Georgescu benefited from a vote that was manipulated through various illegal means, including cyberattacks and a TikTok campaign funded by Russia. Analysts found that around 25,000 pro-Georgescu TikTok accounts became active just two weeks before the first-round vote.
- Călin Georgescu spoke to Reuters: Cuts off any aid to Ukraine and will not respect NATO commitments. "The Romanian people's concern is to be happy"
- Călin Georgescu also spoke to the BBC about "non-intelligence agencies" in Romania, which tell lies out of fear
Undermining elections in an EU - and NATO - member state is another alarm bell for Brussels, which is striving to compel social networks to adhere to stricter moderation rules from the Digital Services Act.
Following the intelligence reports from Romania, the European Commission has ordered TikTok to retain all data that could indicate hidden and paid attempts to manipulate electoral processes, including in the lead-up to the February elections in Germany. Last month, an analysis by German intelligence services warned of possible Russian attempts to influence the elections, the outcome of which will have a crucial impact on Western policy towards Ukraine.
For democratic countries, preventing such situations must become an urgent priority, writes The Guardian.
The unlikely TikTok-assisted rise of Mr. Georgescu is just the most astonishing example of using social networks and messaging platforms to bypass mainstream sources of information. With increasing competence and impact, Russia and far-right parties in Europe use such platforms to create an alternative political reality based on viral disinformation and distortion.
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Having ample evidence of fraud, the Romanian authorities had no good options.
The decision to rerun the elections risks deepening division in an already polarized society and delegitimizing an authentic protest dimension of the vote for Mr. Georgescu. A larger vote for the pro-Putin nationalist far-right, driven by the reaction to the Constitutional Court's decision, is a plausible possibility when the elections are repeated next year.
But as Russia strives with increasing determination to undermine democracy in neighboring countries and beyond, Bucharest was right to draw a line, concludes the editorial leadership of the British newspaper.
T.D.