The Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the presidential elections just two days after President Klaus Iohannis declassified a series of documents from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the secret service that directly accuse Russia of the chaotic outcome of the vote.
An “enormous guerrilla political campaign” and a “brutal cyberattack,” as Romanian intelligence described the background of the electoral process after which the right-wing candidate, the pro-Russian Kalin Georgescu, to everyone’s surprise, won the most votes and eliminated the favorite, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, from the second round of elections.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK:
The unexpected result of the first round of elections brought Romanians to the streets, and with shouts of “Save Romania” and carrying punctured national flags, like those that symbolized the fall of the Nicolae Ceausescu regime in 1989, they sought support for pro-European forces.
Five Secret Service Documents
In a total of five published secret service documents, it is further stated that Georgescu had enormous help in the last two weeks from the far-right Youth Party, which conducted a “massive promotional campaign” via “TikTok”.
Georgescu, who during the campaign announced the withholding of aid to Ukraine, claimed that he did not spend a single leu during the presidential race.
Romanian intelligence, also explaining the sequence of events that preceded the elections, stated that Russia is the country of origin of a huge amount of messages that, through social networks, provoke deep internal divisions and promote a pro-Russian narrative.
They also state that Russia has a long history of interfering in electoral processes in other countries. It all started with an attempt to influence the results of the US presidential elections in 2016, since when the Kremlin’s operation has “intensified and become dramatically more complex.”
Essentially, Romanian intelligence claims that Russian rivals, before the start of the electoral process, conducted a detailed sociological analysis of Romanian society, including public opinion polls, the attitudes of key parties and candidates, and ultimately sought loopholes in electoral laws.
The “information aggression,” as the Romanians described the alleged Russian influence on the elections, aimed to increase the chances of pro-Russian candidates, far-right extremists, and representatives of nationalist movements.
One Election, Many Investigations
The documents were immediately taken over by prosecutors, who assessed that Romania, during the campaign, faced a phenomenon and a criminal pattern never seen before.
Citing sources from the prosecution, the Romanian daily Adevarul states that the first round of presidential elections in Romania is the first case in Europe in which the electoral process was accompanied by controversies and comprehensive criminal investigations. The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism began processing documents, according to which “85,000 cyberattacks” were recorded on election day, which is why this action could be called “part of an organized criminal group.”
The prosecution is simultaneously investigating possible cases of money laundering or bribery of voters, while the police have taken over part of the investigation relating to threats to journalists made by one of the leaders of the group supporting Georgescu. Part of the investigation will be conducted, Romanian media write, by the European Commission, which has requested documentation from “TikTok” regarding the elections in Romania. The reactions of politicians to the decision of the Constitutional Court are, as expected, diverse.
“Today, Romania stumbled over democracy. The decision of the Constitutional Court is officially a state coup. The state is in a state of induced coma. It is time to show courage because democracy is under attack. The party leaders who are afraid that their files will see the light of day. The corrupt system has made a pact with the devil,” said Georgescu.
Pro-European Elena Lasconi, who came in second in the annulled elections, assessed that the decision of the highest Romanian court is “immoral, illegal and contrary to the basic principles of democracy.”
George Simion, the leader of the right-wing Alliance for the Unification of Romanians, compared the court’s move to a state coup but called on his supporters not to take to the streets so that a democratic solution to the crisis could be found.
“Nine judges appointed according to political criteria, afraid that a candidate who is not part of the system could become president, decided to annul the will of the Romanians,” said Simion.
Marcel Ciolacu Welcomed the Decision of the Constitutional Court
However, at the same time, Prime Minister and third-placed candidate from the first round of elections, Marcel Ciolacu, welcomed the decision of the Constitutional Court, assessing that after the publication of the secret documents, such a move was the only logical solution.
The reactions of politicians came immediately after the Constitutional Court announced its decision, but before the explanation of this move was published – the first annulled elections in Europe since the elections for representatives in the Icelandic constitutional assembly were annulled in a similar way in 2010.
Six years earlier, a Ukrainian court annulled the presidential elections due to numerous falsifications, which was the introduction to a series of events known as the “Orange Revolution.”
READ MORE:
“NO ONE CAN DENY”: Croatia officially acknowledges genocide against Serbs in ISH (NDH)
SERBS DELIGHTED: American christmas movie filmed in popular Serbian mountain! (VIDEO)
Izvor: RTS, Foto: AP