Romania's coalition government has announced plans for a new presidential election set for May, following the annulment of the December vote due to allegations of Russian interference. A cabinet meeting on Thursday approved the proposal for a fresh vote.
The first round is scheduled for May 4, with a potential second round on May 18 if no candidate secures over 50 percent of the votes in the first round. Last year, Romania experienced significant political turmoil when Calin Georgescu, a little-known far-right pro-Russian politician, won the initial presidential round on November 24.
Authorities in Romania indicated that Georgescu benefited from an extensive social media campaign, particularly on TikTok, which has been accused of providing him with undue advantages. The platform has denied these allegations. Amidst concerns regarding Russian influence—claims that Moscow has rejected—Romania's top court annulled the election results and mandated a complete rerun.
In response to the situation, the European Commission initiated formal proceedings against TikTok for its alleged failure to mitigate election interference, particularly regarding the Romanian vote. Georgescu has condemned the annulment as a 'formalised coup d'etat.'
Last Sunday, tens of thousands of Romanians protested in Bucharest against the cancellation of the original vote, demanding the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis. The protests were organized by the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party.
On Thursday, the government, led by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, issued a decree requiring that campaign materials for the upcoming presidential election be clearly labeled and that sponsors be identified. Social media platforms must remove non-compliant content within five hours of a request from Romanian election officials or face fines ranging from 1 to 5 percent of their turnover.
However, Romanian rights groups criticized the government for not consulting the public prior to the decree, asserting that the new regulations fail to address significant issues related to campaign financing.