Romania’s top court has ordered a recount of votes from Sunday’s presidential election following allegations that TikTok gave “preferential treatment” to the surprise winner, Calin Georgescu. The Constitutional Court also dismissed claims from two losing candidates accusing Georgescu of illegal campaign financing.
Georgescu, a far-right pro-Russia candidate with no party affiliation, campaigned primarily on TikTok, where he has amassed over 330,000 followers in two weeks. TikTok has denied allegations of favoritism, stating, “It is categorically false to claim his account was treated differently to any other candidate.”
Georgescu secured 23% of the vote, edging out Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union, who received 19%. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democrats came third. A runoff election between Georgescu and Lasconi is scheduled for December 8.
“Extremism is fought by voting, not backstage games,” Lasconi said, urging the Central Election Bureau to manage the recount fairly and uphold the law.
Romania’s Supreme Council of National Defence has accused TikTok of failing to mark Georgescu as a political candidate during the campaign. However, TikTok said it acted swiftly when flagged by authorities.
Georgescu dismissed allegations of manipulation, stating, “The budget of this campaign was zero… Romanian people need freedom. Real democracy means spirituality. God. Our land. Our property. Our soul. Our family.”
Protests against Georgescu have erupted across Romania, while Georgescu has urged his supporters to remain peaceful. Romania’s Telecoms regulator has called for TikTok to be suspended pending an investigation into potential electoral manipulation.
Meanwhile, Romania prepares for parliamentary elections this weekend, with far-right parties AUR and SOS Romania seeking to capitalize on the presidential election’s fallout. The governing Social Democrats and National Liberals remain in disarray after their poor showing.
