Romania’s presidential election was thrown into chaos Thursday as a court ordered a recount of first-round results and security officials alleged that interference via TikTok had boosted a little-known far-right candidate.
The moves came as the country braces for legislative polls plus a run-off vote between a far-right admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a pro-European centrist contender.
The Romanian presidency said security officials had detected “cyberattacks” intended to influence the outcome of Sunday’s vote, which saw far-right candidate Calin Georgescu secure an unexpected first-round win.
Georgescu knocked Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu out of the race, setting up a second-round run-off on December 8 with centrist Elena Lasconi, who placed second.
Another far-right candidate meanwhile went after Lasconi by obtaining an order from the Constitutional Court for a recount of the first-round votes.
The candidate, EU parliament member Cristian Terhes, accused Lasconi’s Union Save Romania (USR) party of continuing to campaign online after the legal deadline.