The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed solidarity with Romania against the backdrop of Russian interference in the country's elections.
Points of attention
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns Russia's interference in Romania's presidential elections as an attempt to deceive the will of the people.
- Russia's hybrid aggression against Europe and the free world poses a serious threat, requiring joint action to uphold international democratic standards.
- The Ministry reiterates the need for decisive measures against Russian interference in Romania, emphasizing Ukraine's solidarity with the Romanian people.
- The controversial victory of anti-Western candidate Calin Georgescu in Romania's presidential elections and subsequent allegations of election influencing have sparked international concerns.
- The involvement of foreign actors in shaping election outcomes, as seen in the case of TikTok influencing in Romania, highlights the importance of safeguarding democratic processes from external manipulation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemned the interference of the Russia in the presidential elections of Romania
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Russia's interference in Romania's internal affairs is an attempt to deprive the Romanian people of their constitutional right to express their will, and added that this is another episode of Russia's broader hybrid aggression against Europe and the rest of the free world.
Russia's interference in Romania's internal affairs confirms the previous statements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine that the aggressive plans of the Kremlin go far beyond the borders of Ukraine and extend in particular to EU and NATO countries. The response to such Russian threats must be joint and decisive, including maximum support for Ukraine in countering Russian aggression for the sake of maintaining stability in Europe and the world.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also emphasized that Ukraine's solidarity with the Romanian people remains unshakable, and expressed hope that during the further electoral process, Romanian citizens will be able to exercise their right to vote without foreign interference.
Presidential elections in Romania: what is known
On November 24, the first round of voting in the presidential elections took place in Romania. Anti-Western candidate Calin Georgescu won in the first round.
He previously called Romanian fascist politicians of the 1930s national heroes and martyrs, criticized NATO and Romania's position on Ukraine, and said the country should cooperate with Russia, not challenge it. And the other day he declared: if he becomes the head of state, he will stop aid to Ukraine
On November 28, the Supreme Court of Romania decided to recount the votes after the first round of the presidential elections. The CEC of Romania suggested re-holding the 1st round of presidential elections if the Supreme Court annuls the vote. In the end, the Constitutional Court of Romania recognized the results of the first round of elections as valid on December 2.
The European Commission has turned to TikTok due to suspicions of influencing the elections in Romania. Subsequently, the High Council of National Defense of Romania declassified documents related to Georgescu's election campaign.
According to these data, 25 thousand TikTok accounts were used to increase the popularity of Georgescu in his election campaign. Perhaps "botfarms" were involved for this. Romania's special services assume that such an operation involved significant costs, and its scale and geography point to a "state operator."
On December 6, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the results of the first round of presidential elections. Calin Georgescu called this decision of the Constitutional Court a coup d'état.
