Romania Holds Another Election, Yet Questions Surround Călin Georgescu's Absence
Get Ready for Romania's Do-Over Presidential Election!
Radio Schumann is back with a juicy scoop! After a rollercoaster ride, Romanians are gearing up for another round of voting on Sunday to pick their new president. But what's the beef with Călin Georgescu, the TikTok sensation who won last year's annulled election? And who's the frontrunner this time?
Out of the blue, Călin Georgescu, an unconventional nationalist-pro-Russian candidate, had snatched the lead in the initial round of the presidential elections, buoyed by an explosive TikTok campaign. However, just 48 hours before the second round, the tide turned. The election results were scrapped due to doubts about Georgescu's campaign tactics and potential foreign meddling.
We caught up with our bureau chief in Bucharest, Andra Miron-Diaconescu, to get the lowdown on Georgescu's mysterious disappearance and the current leading contender, George Simion, dubbed as the Romanian MAGA man.
In this episode, we also delve into a new chapter in the EU-India saga as they mingle in Brussels, striving to seal a free-trade deal. Curious about where Europeans love scrolling through online bookstore webpages? We've got you covered!
Radio Schumann is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with assistant Lauren Walker handling journalistic duties and Johan Breton taking care of audio editing. Music by Alexandre Jas!
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- TikTok
- Bucharest
- Romania
- Presidential election
- Books
- India
Curious about last year's election dramas involving Călin Georgescu, Russian interference, and TikTok? Here's a glimpse:
*Calin Georgescu, an independent candidate, caught everyone off guard by winning the first round of the Romanian presidential election on November 24, 2024[3][5]. However, his victory was clouded by accusations of electoral violations and foreign interference. The Romanian intelligence hinted at possible manipulation of social media platforms, such as TikTok, by foreign actors.
Romania's Constitutional Court subsequently annulled the election results and called for a rerun[5]. Georgescu was later prohibited from competing in the new May 2025 presidential election by the Central Election Board due to non-compliance with legal conditions[2]. This decision was upheld by the Constitutional Court on March 11, 2025[2].
Protests erupted in Bucharest following Georgescu's disqualification. Additionally, Georgescu is currently facing a criminal investigation[5]. This kerfuffle has sparked concerns about election integrity and foreign interference in Romania, prompting an EU investigation into TikTok's role in the situation[5].
- Calin Georgescu, the Romanian independent candidate who won the first round of the presidential election on November 24, 2024, was later prohibited from competing in the May 2025 rerun due to non-compliance with legal conditions.
- TikTok, the social media platform, was implicated in last year's Romanian presidential election dramas when Romanian intelligence hinted at possible manipulation by foreign actors.
- Following Calin Georgescu's disqualification for the rerun election, protests erupted in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, sparking concerns about election integrity and foreign interference.
- The EU is currently investigating TikTok's role in the Romanian presidential election situation due to allegations of foreign interference.
