“Thieves”: in Romania, voters at polling stations despite the cancellation

« Calin Georgescu president », “thieves!” », “open the polling stations”: more than a hundred Romanians went to the polls on Sunday morning alongside the far-right candidate to protest against the cancellation of the second round of the presidential election.

Millions of voters were called to vote this Sunday to choose between Mr. Georgescu, accused of pro-Russian sympathies, and his pro-European rival Elena Lasconi. But on Friday, in a new twist, the Constitutional Court decided to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. An unprecedented measure in the Eastern European country and extremely rare in Europe.

In question, of “multiple irregularities and violations of the electoral law having distorted” the vote amid suspicions of Russian interference.

A “coup d’état, according to the nationalist candidate, who had created a surprise by coming first in the first round on November 24 and was a favorite in the polls.

“I am here in the name of democracy (…). It’s just a symbol, a moment of silence.”he declared in front of a school in the commune of Mogosoaia, near Bucharest, where he should have voted. “It’s Constitution Day, but there is nothing constitutional in Romania”added the sixty-year-old, accusing the authorities of having acted out of fear of his victory.

“A patriot”

He announced that he had contested the annulment before the Romanian courts and before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Dressed in a dark coat and a blue scarf, Calin Georgescu said he was not calling on his supporters to “do anything”while elsewhere in the country no large gatherings were observed.

In the small crowd gathered in a tense atmosphere, Adriana Iercau, a 60-year-old professor, was outraged by the court’s decision.

“Nothing, nothing is proven”she reacted. “Now it’s like this, if you have an opinion that is contrary to the opinion of the television stations which are enslaved, you are a Putinist”.

For her, Calin Georgescu is simply “a patriot, a sovereign who loves his country and the people”.

“Everything was going well until they decided to kill the democracy established in 1989”with the fall of communism, added another protester, Sorin Scuratovschi, 46, invoking God and the American president-elect Donald Trump, two constant references of the candidate.

Accustomed to nationalist and mystical speeches, Mr. Georgescu has in the past displayed his admiration for Vladimir Putin but now affirms “not be a fan” and denies any connection with Russia. He is opposed to aid to Ukraine and advocates above all the search for ” peace “a usual positioning among the proponents of Russian rhetoric.

“Guerrilla campaign”

His possible victory aroused fears in Brussels and Washington of a strategic reorientation in this EU country, which has become a pillar of NATO since the start of the war in neighboring Ukraine.

According to the Romanian authorities, the candidate benefited from a “coordinated guerrilla campaign” on the Chinese-origin platform TikTok, which denied the allegations but was placed under enhanced EU surveillance.

Intelligence has drawn parallels to previous Russian election interference efforts in Europe and documented « 25.000 accounts TikTok » directly associated with his campaign.

They also report an account belonging to Bogdan Peschir, who made payments of $381,000 (361,000 euros) between October 24 and November 24 to Internet users helping to promote Mr. Georgescu. Anonymous until recently, he compared his support to that of Elon Musk for Donald Trump.

Linked to the world of cryptocurrencies, it is at the heart of the investigation according to the media and searches were carried out on Saturday in the center of the country. Mr. Georgescu assured Sunday that he did not know him.

Another far-right official, George Simion, who also contested the decision, called for a candle to be lit outside polling stations – in the hope “to overcome this unprecedented obstacle in 35 years of democracy”.