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Russia denied on Thursday it was interfering in Romania’s elections, as the EU member geared up for the second round of its presidential vote that could see a pro-Russian candidate win.
Far-right contender Calin Georgescu unexpectedly topped the ballot in the first round of voting last month, shocking Bucharest’s NATO allies and prompting accusations of Kremlin interference from Romanian authorities.
“The campaign for the Romanian presidential election… is accompanied by an unprecedented outburst of anti-Russian hysteria,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said of the allegations.
“More and more absurd accusations are being made by local politicians, officials and media representatives…,” she added. “We firmly reject all hostile attacks, which we consider absolutely groundless.”
The European Commission said Thursday it had stepped up its monitoring of TikTok in the context of Romania’s elections, after receiving information about possible Russian interference.
Georgescu’s nationalist discourse has made waves on social media, particularly on TikTok, where his videos have racked up millions of views.
The second round of voting was scheduled to be held Sunday, where Georgescu was set to face centrist mayor Elena Lasconi.
However, Romania’s constitutional court announced on Friday that it was canceling the presidential election. The court has decided “to annul the entire electoral process for the election of the President of Romania… to ensure the correctness and legality of the electoral process,” it said.
