Romanian court annuls presidential vote after Russian interference claims
The court canceled Sunday’s run off and invalidated a Nov. 24 first round that saw Calin Georgescu, a 62-year-old agricultural scientist who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, stage a meteoric rise to clinch a first place finish. The government will now need to start the process over, holding a new election at an unspecified date.
Georgescu campaigned with no political party and declared no advertising budget, but propelled by viral content on TikTok, he went from 1 percent support a month ago to winning 22.9 percent.
Romania’s security services pointed to Russian interference to explain his sudden success. Documents declassified last week concluded that a Russian-backed operation helped manipulate TikTok algorithms to boost Georgescu’s popularity.
Does exposure to TikTok propaganda invalidate one’s vote? The same principle might be applied to voters under the influence of the Search Engine Manipulation Effect.