Update from Europe
Guest post by Roberto Vivaldelli
Romania’s Election Turmoil: Georgescu, TikTok, and the EU’s Push for Control
Călin Georgescu has shaken up the political landscape, not only in Romania but across Europe. The right-wing independent secured nearly 23% of the vote in the first round of the Romanian presidential elections, earning a spot in the December 8 runoff against Elena Lasconi, an anti-corruption conservative candidate from the center-right Save Romania Union (USR). Georgescu’s rise, marked by nationalist rhetoric, has alarmed European leaders, who were quick to label him “pro-Russian.” The reasons? As highlighted by Andrea Muratore on InsideOver, Georgescu is openly critical of the European Union and NATO, which he deems restrictive to Romanian sovereignty. He has opposed outgoing President Klaus Iohannis’s support for Ukraine, condemned NATO’s missile base in Deveselu as a “diplomatic shame,” and criticized the war’s fallout, including rising costs, inflation, and economic uncertainty.
TikTok Under Fire in the EU
Georgescu’s unorthodox positions have clearly unsettled Brussels. The European establishment is now accusing his campaign of spreading “disinformation” through social media, particularly TikTok, to win over Romanian voters. According to Politico, the European Parliament may soon summon TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to explain the platform’s role in the elections.
Valérie Hayer, head of the Renew Europe group, stated in a press conference: “We invite the CEO of TikTok to appear in Parliament to ensure his platform has not violated the Digital Services Act (DSA).” Hayer’s call came just days after Georgescu’s unexpected success. Analysts attribute his rise to a strategic TikTok campaign allegedly supported by an “army of fake accounts.” Bogdan Manolea, director of the Association for Technology and Internet, claims, “We believe TikTok was misused, with massive and strategic deployment of fake accounts to promote the candidate.” Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has also called for an investigation into Georgescu’s TikTok campaign funding, emphasizing, “Follow the money; we need to understand the scope of this phenomenon.”
The Interests Behind the “Disinformation” Accusations
The allegations of disinformation and fake accounts — whose actual impact on the election results remains debatable — originate from the Association for Technology and Internet, a member of European Digital Rights (EDRi). This network claims to be Europe’s largest defender of digital rights and freedoms. However, the organization’s key backers raise questions: among them are George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, Pierre Omidyar’s Omidyar Network, the Ford Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald has recently criticized the European Union’s tightening grip on media freedom. In a thread on X, he described the DSA as part of an escalating trend of “increasingly despotic state censorship.” Greenwald highlighted the EU’s partnership with Reset, a group funded by Pierre Omidyar, which positions itself as an expert in combating “disinformation.” Reset has accused platforms like X of failing to censor what it classifies as “pro-Russian propaganda.” Critics, however, argue that these initiatives reflect a broader effort to control the narrative under the guise of combating misinformation.
A Broader Agenda?
Behind the accusations against Georgescu lies a familiar network of liberal billionaires investing heavily in political causes aligned with their worldview. Unsurprisingly, a nationalist leader critical of NATO and the EU does not fit into that vision. Such interference raises questions about the limits being placed on free speech and expression — the very principles these organizations claim to defend. Should Elena Lasconi, the USR candidate, win the December 8 runoff, it’s likely that the outcry over “disinformation” and fake news will disappear as quickly as it surfaced.
Roberto Vivaldelli – original published on InsideOver