After Romanian ultranationalist Călin Georgescu was disqualified from the country’s presidential race, a series of posts sharing disinformation have appeared on social media platforms. Euroverify debunks their claims.
Online users are claiming the European Union has banned Romania’s ultranationalist candidate Călin Georgescu from competing in the country’s presidential elections.
In one post on X, a German far-right political activist blamed the ban on “EU-dictatocracy”. Another user alleged Europe was forbidding candidates from running in elections.
Multiple accounts also claim to show Romanians protesting against alleged EU corruption.
But while hundreds of protesters took to the streets after Georgescu was disqualified from the presidential race, the crowds did not come close to near the hundreds or hundreds of thousands displayed in online videos.
In fact, a Euroverify reverse image search revealed the images come from anti-corruption protests in Serbia, not Romania.
Although Georgescu won the first round of Romania’s presidential elections in November, the results were annulled by the country’s constitutional court.
Declassified intelligence reports revealed a Russian-backed campaign to influence voters on social media, with a strong focus on TikTok.
This led Georgescu, who is a fierce NATO and EU critic, to be dubbed the “TikTok Messiah”.
A ruling by Romania’s Constitutional Court
This wave of online disinformation comes after a ruling was issued in March by Romania’s Constitutional Court — and not by the EU.
Romania’s highest court upheld the decision to reject Georgescu’s candidacy in the election rerun scheduled for May.
Prior to this, Romania’s Central Electoral Commission had suspended Georgescu’s candidacy application. This body has the power to reject candidates who do not meet the required legal conditions to hold presidential office.
Candidacies are assessed on a case-by-case basis, meaning that Georgescu could try his luck at a future election.
In mid-March, the body also suspended MEP Diana Sosoaca, the leader of the ultra-nationalist S.O.S Romania party known for her pro-Russia views, from participating in the presidential race.
In a Facebook live streamed during the ruling, Sosoaca told her followers that “this proves the Americans, Jews and the European Union have plotted to rig the Romanian election before it has begun”.
What the European Commission has done
The European Commission has taken measures to tackle foreign interference in the Romanian elections, but it has not banned candidates.
In December, the commission announced the launch of legal proceedings against TikTok, due to a “suspected breach” of the Digital Services Act.
The platform is accused of failing to mitigate risks which threatened the integrity of Romania’s November elections.
Read the full article here
