International

Romanian elections: TikTok's role in Călin Georgescu’s campaign

President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has declassified documents from the most recent meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) regarding Călin Georgescu’s campaign.

The decision to declassify, made in accordance with the law and at the request of the issuing institutions, concerns information presented by the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE), and the Ministry of Internal Affairs during the November 28 session, according to an announcement from Romania's Presidential Administration.

The Romanian Intelligence Service revealed that nearly 800 TikTok accounts, created in 2016 for Georgescu, were preserved and later fully activated during the presidential election campaign.

TikTok also acknowledged receiving $381,000 in payments during Georgescu’s campaign.

The surge in accounts promoting Călin Georgescu was not organic. Their activity was allegedly coordinated by a “state actor” using an alternative communication channel to propagate messages on the platform, according to a declassified SRI document released by CSAT and cited by G4Media.ro.

A declassified document from the Ministry of Internal Affairs reveals a comparable operational pattern identified in Ukraine prior to the Russian Federation’s aggression. Specifically, the informational campaign titled “Balance and Integrity” is identical to the “Brother Beside Brother” campaign launched by the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs further revealed that a far-right extremist, known for organizing paramilitary camps, was involved in promoting and purchasing votes for Călin Georgescu. Although the individual’s name was anonymized, an investigation by G4Media identified him as Eugen Sechila.

Călin Georgescu secured first place in the first round of Romania’s presidential elections, winning nearly 23% of the votes. The candidate heavily promoted himself on social media, particularly TikTok, while declaring zero expenses for his electoral campaign.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

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