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Russian manipulation? TikTok as an electoral tool in Romania!
Romanian elections: Georgescu suspected of Russian influence, while Lasconi leads in polls. TikTok propaganda observed.
Russian manipulation? TikTok as an electoral tool in Romania!
In a shocking move, Romania's Constitutional Court has annulled the results of the presidential election, just two days before the crucial second round of voting. The election, which was seen as a duel between the pro-European candidate Georgescu and the centrist candidate Elena Lasconi, is now cast under a dark shadow. The background is alarming findings from the Romanian secret services and NATO agencies, which have documented massive Russian influence on the election process. The Kleine Zeitung reported, that Georgescu is now under scrutiny by Romanian investigative authorities as his support in the first round of voting appears to have been gained through a Russian-controlled TikTok campaign.
TikTok's controversial role is evident in Global Witness' recent investigation, which revealed that the network distributed an excessive amount of pro-Georgescu content during the campaign period. In just ten minutes on TikTok's For You page, 54 videos were recommended, and 85% of those posts were in Georgescu's favor. Global Witness highlights, that 21 unofficial posts online increased pro-Georgescu propaganda, while Lasconi's social media presence was far inferior. Telegram and TikTok were identified as key platforms on which these “sleeper” users supported Georgescu, underscoring emerging concerns about the fairness and integrity of the upcoming election.