Romanian elections rocked by cyberattacks and vote recount
The National Defense Council (CSAT) in Romania reported cyberattacks targeting the presidential elections on Thursday. One of the candidates received preferential treatment from the social media platform TikTok.
2:21 PM EST, November 28, 2024
"One of the candidates in the election benefited from high visibility on TikTok due to preferential treatment from the platform, which did not require him to label election content," stated the National Defense Council, as quoted by the media.
In the first round of the presidential elections held on Sunday, the top position was secured by a representative of the radical right, independent candidate Calin Georgescu. This previously little-known politician quickly gained popularity through an extensive campaign on the TikTok platform.
Elena Lasconi, the leader of the center-right Save Romania Union (USR), took second place. The second round of elections is scheduled for December 8.
A recount of votes has been ordered
On Thursday, the Romanian Constitutional Court announced that after reviewing a request from one of the candidates, Cristian Terhes, to annul the elections, it instructed the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) to recount the votes from the first round. BEC is to present the results to the Constitutional Court for verification. The hearing is set for 8 AM Eastern Time (1 PM in Poland) on Friday.
The court also reported that it rejected the request to annul the elections submitted by another candidate, Sebastian Constantin Popescu.
Terhes, a radical right-wing candidate, raised concerns about the votes for Elena Lasconi, the leader of the center-right Save Romania Union (USR) party. Popescu's complaint addressed voting issues concerning Georgescu, including potential violations related to his TikTok campaign.
