The Constitutional Court in the European Union (EU) and NATO member state Romania has canceled its presidential elections just days before a scheduled vote, claiming a Russian interference campaign is the reason a pro-Trump candidate populist was the favorite to win the race.
Romanian judges annulled the second round of the presidential elections as polls suggested populist, NATO-critical candidate Călin Georgescu, who won a surprise victory in the election’s first round, was likely to win Sunday’s vote. According to the court, Georgescu benefits from an influence campaign on social media platforms like TikTok, similar to some run by the Russian government.
The move comes after Romanian intelligence information was declassified by the government, claiming that Russia was trying to manipulate the outcome of the election. Georgescu, who is pro-Trump, pro-life, and opposed to escalating the Western proxy war with Russia in Ukraine, was set to face pro-EU globalist Elena Lasconi on Sunday.
Over the past year, European governments have consistently attempted to blame Russian interference campaigns for the rise of populists across Europe, shutting down alternative media in the Czech Republic ahead of the European Parliament elections, for example.
Russian interference has been blamed for the rise of populism in the United States and the United Kindom for years. However, the infamous Russia hoax accusations against President Donald J. Trump and the allegations of extensive Russian interference in the Brexit referendum in 2016 all proved to be false.