Demonstrations, interference by the secret services, ten million dollars in cash in a safe, the annulment of the first round and its repetition six months later – this is what the presidential elections in Romania looked like. Unlike the previous ones, this time it made the front pages of the world’s media. In the Czech Republic, two camps quickly emerged in response to the Romanian electoral turmoil. One side points to the problematic actions of Romanian state institutions, which it describes as undemocratic interference in free political competition and discrimination against critical voices against the EU and the West. The other side highlights the substandard election campaign of the first-round winner Călin Georgescu, the misuse of funds of unclear origin and the deliberate use of the TikTok platform for political influence. As is often the case, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. This text looks at the circumstances that led to the cancellation of the first round, and presents the key arguments of both sides.

Key takeaways:

• The presidential election was marred by the annulment of the first round due to non-transparent campaigning and misuse of social media. The Constitutional Court’s decision has called into question citizens’ trust in democratic processes and sparked demonstrations.
• Traditional parties (PSD, PNL) lost support during the super-election year, while the new far-right party AUR gained significantly. This trend points to the growing demand of the electorate for radical change and rejection of the established political elites in Romania.
• The Romanian elections reflect the more widespread problems of European politics – the growing influence of social networks, the polarization of society and the rise of populist movements. The situation in Romania may be a warning of the possible destabilization of democratic processes in other countries.

Analysis –Karel Sál

The analysis is in PDF under the link below.