Six days ago, through a surprise announcement, Victor Ponta, an independent candidate in the presidential elections, stated that he renounces the title of „honorary citizen” of Serbia.
„My entry into the race for the presidency of Romania implies renouncing any element of private life that could affect the fulfillment of constitutional duties. I am ready to take on all responsibilities and restrictions that come with this status. There is no legal prohibition regarding the candidacy of Romanian citizens who also have citizenship of another country,” stated the former prime minister, managing to contradict himself in a single sentence.
However, Victor Ponta implies that he renounced Serbian citizenship due to attacks coming from the extremist party AUR, which accused him of not being a „true Romanian” if he holds another citizenship.
The decision of the deputy also indicates that ties with Serbia, in the current political context, represent a vulnerability for him.
On March 11, Victor Ponta was in Belgrade, where he met with Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the American president.
The Romanian politician posted a photo on his X/ Twitter account and wrote: "Excited to meet Donald Trump Jr. again. I look forward to his visit to Romania as soon as possible."
It would not have been a surprise for Victor Ponta, who is in a frantic search for attention, to exploit further the contact with the son of the American president, but apart from the message on Twitter and the segments dedicated to the "event" by RTV, not much fuss was made.
The political crisis in Serbia has overnight become a problem for Victor Ponta as well.
Tragedies with Political Impact
His entire campaign is built on the return of Donald Trump to the White House and the victory of the American conservative MAGA movement in the November elections.
When Ponta began his political journey in the early 2000s, he presented himself as an "enlightened socialist," being a supporter of progressive movements.
However, taking on the role of prime minister in 2012 and the attempts to survive in a corrupt and competitive political environment shattered his values, turning him into what Caragiale ironically defined as "Romanian free-marketism."
Thus, after a decade spent in obscurity due to the failure in the 2014 presidential elections, where he was defeated by Iohannis, as well as his resignation from the government leadership a year later under public pressure dissatisfied with the executive's response to the tragedy at Colectiv Club, Victor Ponta is attempting once again to reach the Cotroceni Palace.
He is one of those who best understand what is happening in Serbia, where a large-scale protest has been ongoing for five months against President Aleksandar Vucic after the roof of the Novi Sad train station collapsed, killing 15 people and injuring many others.
Chinese firms were involved in the renovation and modernization of the railway station, leading to direct accusations against the government and the president of corruption and of keeping Serbia out of the European Union.
Sebastian Ghita, the Supporter from Belgrade
Vucic's politics, since coming to power in 2017, have been a constant balancing act between Russia and Europe. Vucic has always played both sides, indefinitely postponing the political, economic, and social reforms demanded by Brussels to accept Serbia's accession to the EU.
Due to the resentments of a large part of the population related to the European Union, formed during Milosevic's dictatorship and reaching a peak during the NATO bombing of Belgrade, tensions between Serbs and other former members of the Yugoslav Federation, there has been no critical popular pressure for European integration, and the situation has been exploited by Russia.
In the past decade, Belgrade has become the city from which hybrid attacks are launched against European states, attacks funded by Russia and Kremlin supporters who enjoy the protection of local authorities.
This is also the case with Sebastian Ghita, a friend and supporter of Victor Ponta.
Sebastian Ghita, the owner of RTV, fled the country in December 2016 to evade possible arrest on corruption charges. At the time, he was a member of the Romanian Parliament and a member of the SRI Control Commission.
He has been in Belgrade for 9 years, from where he coordinates political campaigns, being suspected of ties with the Kremlin due to the involvement of the television station he controls in promoting several Russian influence agents operating in Moldova and Romania.
Moreover, RTV, the television station controlled by Sebastian Ghita, is one of the main media outlets used in Victor Ponta's campaign.
Trump Tower Cracks
The alignment between the Trump administration and Putin is set to materialize in the economic field, with Belgrade, a European city favored by both, being targeted for the construction of a Trump Tower.
"...the Trump family and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the American president, are moving forward with plans to build a Trump International Hotel in Belgrade, the first property of its kind in Europe," as stated in a New York Times article published on March 19.
"The hotel is set to be built on the site of the former Yugoslav Ministry of Defense headquarters, which was bombed by NATO 26 years ago... Serbian opposition leaders have criticized the deal and called for its cancellation, saying it will be annulled in the event of a change in power in Serbia," the article further states.
After demonstrations with hundreds of thousands of people, the resignation of the government, and the organization of early elections, the Trump family project is threatened, just like the "Victor Ponta, president" project.
Can Vucic Still Be Saved?
Despite Putin's diplomatic show of strength with the help of the American president, the Kremlin is facing increasing difficulties in maintaining its political influence in countries, regions, and territories it considers strategically important.
The economic crisis caused by the immense expenses related to the invasion of Ukraine has reduced and continues to reduce the budgetary resources allocated to support the vast network of politicians, influence agents, and online and offline propaganda operations.
This is most evident in Serbia, but it is also visible in Hungary, where Viktor Orban is being contested and heading towards defeat in next year's elections.
Trump Jr.'s visit to Belgrade was reportedly urgent and brief, lasting only eight hours.
Its purpose was to show U.S. support for President Aleksandar Vucic, indicating that Putin has cut funding to the political elite in Belgrade, attempting to fill the void with potential American investments.
The fact that in the few hours he spent in Serbia, Trump Jr. met with Ponta shows that Sebastian Ghita has access to the presidential administration and government, using them to promote his candidate.
Trump Jr. was accompanied in Serbia by Brad Parscale, the campaign manager of the American president in 2016, who was expected in Romania by supporters of Calin Georgescu immediately after the cancellation of the elections, but did not arrive.
It is unknown to what extent Trump will be able to help Vucic remain in power in Serbia, but the political crisis in Belgrade could have a domino effect on many power networks supported by Russia in Europe.