Analysis of the News: “Romanian scenario: Indication of the fall of NATO dictatorship in the Ceausescu model”

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Photo: Cdrei, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

December 2024.

As part of the program Regional Initiative for combating disinformation “Western Balkans Combatting disinformation Center: Exposing malicious influences through fact-checking and Analytical Journalism“, we present you a new analysis of fake news and disinformation narratives.

Romanian scenario: Indication of the fall of NATO dictatorship in the Ceausescu model

https://lat.sputnikportal.rs/20241207/rumunski-scenario-nagovestaj-pada-nato-diktature-po-causeskuovom-modelu-1180346229.html

The end of 2024 was marked by highly controversial elections in Romania. The first round of the presidential elections took place on November 24, 2024, with Elena Lasconi, Marcel Ciolacu, and Călin Georgescu participating. Elena Lasconi, a representative of the conservative liberal opposition, qualified for the second round with 19.17% of the votes, as did Călin Georgescu, a representative of the far-right, with 22.94% of the votes. The current prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, with 19.16% of the votes, did not qualify for the next round.

The second round of the Romanian presidential elections was scheduled for December 8, 2024. Just two days before the second round, the Constitutional Court of Romania made a ruling that annulled the results of the first round. This decision meant that the entire electoral process would have to start over, and the government of Prime Minister Ciolacu would decide the date for the new elections.

The reason for the annulment of the election results, after the recount of votes, was the significant Russian influence on social media during the campaign. Specifically, during the entire campaign, there was evident favoritism toward the pro-Russian candidate Georgescu on the TikTok social network. Although he denied being a man of Moscow, he confirmed his previous statement that, if elected, he would halt any form of aid to Ukraine.

The Sputnik portal, a pro-Russian media outlet in Serbia, reported the results of these elections as a “indication of the fall of NATO dictatorship.” They presented Georgescu vote count as Moscow’s final victory over NATO. They also reported that the Constitutional Court’s decision was made exclusively because “a candidate who was not favored by the NATO empire made it to the second round.” In their reporting, they create a narrative suggesting that the European Union discredits and censors anyone who supports views close to Russia. The article further warns Serbian citizens that they can expect a similar future if they join the European Union.

The purpose of such news is to convince citizens that Russia is their only ally. They further aim to distance the European Union and present it in the worst possible light. The date for the new presidential elections is still unknown, but it is evident that Romania simply wants fair and honest elections.

Author: Milica Jovanović