The Romanian authorities are launching an all-out offensive after the shock result of pro-Russian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu in the first round of the presidential election on Sunday. This former senior official, admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin and opposed to aid to Ukraine, spectacularly rose to the second round after a campaign on TikTok that went viral.
After several days of suspicion, the authorities openly questioned the platform, owned by the Chinese giant ByteDance, this Thursday, November 28. Calin Georgescu benefited from “preferential treatment” from this very popular application in Romania, said the Supreme Council of National Defense after a meeting dedicated to cyber risks in elections. Without naming him, the presidential press release refers to the “massive exposure” he received. Followed by more than 450,000 people on TikTok, the 62-year-old candidate’s videos attract more than five million “likes”. The candidate’s clips were viewed 52 million times in four days.
The independent media G4 Media for its part revealed a “propaganda machine” in favor of Calin Georgescu: thousands of “volunteers”, organized through Telegram groups, received ready-to-use videos and a series of instructions. The result: a wave of content and comments that helped propel the far-right candidate’s messages into the algorithms
This situation requires, according to the authorities, “emergency measures” targeting the application, which is very popular in Romania, which has eight million users according to data presented by TikTok to the European Commission.
“Non-compliance” with legal rules in the election
Brussels has already received a request from the media regulatory authority for a “formal investigation into the role” of the social network. As part of the Digital Services Regulation (DDA), TikTok has “the obligation to assess and mitigate systemic risks linked to electoral processes”, recalls Brussels. If the Commission “suspects an infringement, it can therefore open a procedure to verify compliance” with the commitments made by the platform.
It will organize a “round table” on Friday with the Romanian authorities and TikTok “on the current situation”, indicated a spokesperson for the European executive, stressing that “other platforms have also been invited”. “This is a usual exercise” like “before the elections in Slovakia” and in Luxembourg, or the European vote, he added.
The TikTok platform “categorically” denied the allegations made by the Romanian authorities this Thursday. Calin Georgescu “was subject to exactly the same rules and restrictions” as all the other candidates, assured the Chinese company, which says it “rigorously applies the rules against electoral disinformation”. The Supreme Council of National Defense, however, singled out TikTok for “non-compliance” with legal rules relating to the election, which had “an impact on the final result”.