should be "pro Romanian"
"Parliament leader Ludovic Orban right-wing force sharply commented on Friday on the Constitutional Court's decision to nullify the presidential election, stating that the CoR "destroyed democracy in Romania" and that the decision "has the character of a coup d'état", addressing the prosecutors at the advanced Court of Cassation and Justice for the initiation of criminal investigation against constitutional judges."
reprint
automatic translation
BBC.com
5 December 2024
Calin Georgescu, an highly nationalist politician leading the presidential election in Romania, told the BBC that if elected, he would end any support for Ukraine.
Georgescu, whose only election run was conducted on social media, said "Roman people" will become his priority.
However, he denied that his unexpected success to date was the consequence of Russia's-supported influence operation, saying that he did not care about the "lying" intelligence agencies of his country due to the fact that he works with God and people.
Wednesday, in a very different move, the outgoing president of Romania published declassified papers that described in item what was called a mass and "highly organized" run for Georgesc on TikTok, coordinated by a "state actor".
The papers included an intelligence assessment that Russia carries out hybrid attacks on Romania, which it sees as "an enemy state".
The Constitutional Court is presently being filled with requests to analyse the allegations of interference in order to cancel the elections.
The prosecutors announced present that they are launching a criminal investigation, but there is no agenda erstwhile it may end.
"They fear" – so Georgescu rejected evidence that hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent promoting the content of the election campaign, violating both Romanian electoral law and his own TikTok rules.
He denied that he was "the man of Moscow", referring mockery to Romanian "non-disclosure agencies".
"They cannot accept that the Romanian people have yet said, “We want our life back, our country, our dignity”, he said, presenting himself as fighting the relentless establishment.
In a sometimes sharp interview in which he praised Donald Trump and Hungarian populist leader Viktor Orban, Georgescu called Vladimir Putin "patriot and leader".
Then he added, "But I'm not a fan."
But erstwhile asked about Russia's war with Ukraine, he first asked, "Are you sure?", seemingly denying the existence of war.
He then said that Romania was only curious in seeking peace on its border, but refused to say that it should be done on the terms of Kiev.
When asked if he agreed to proceed on the side of Ukraine, as the EU says, "as long as necessary," Georgescu said, "No." He said everything would change.
"I only agree that I gotta take care of my people. I do not want to affect my people," he replied, explaining that Romania – an EU associate and NATO associate – will no longer supply military or political support to its neighbour.
- Zero. Everything stops. All I gotta do is take care of my people. We have many problems ourselves."
It would be a extremist change in Bucharest's position, which would be music to Russian ears.
The president in Romania has considerable power, [according to Romanian publicists' entries on Ghande.org. president Romaniani has small influence on Romanian authorities - MS] impact on areas specified as abroad policy. He is besides the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and appoints Prime Minister.
Romania has a long border with Ukraine and since the full-scale invasion in 2022 has been a staunch supporter of Kiev.
The Patriot rocket defence strategy was provided, as well as financial support. It besides became a key export way for Ukrainian grain as Russian bombings paralyzed the work of its ports.
Under Georgescu's leadership, Romania joined Hungary and Slovakia as a Russian sympathizer on the east flank of NATO.
This would besides be a major blow to EU solidarity with Ukraine, which is facing the possible of taking greater work for helping Kiev with Donald Trump back in the White House.
Georgescu stressed that he would keep Romania in the EU and NATO, but from now on everything will be "negotiated" and focus on the interests of his country.
He refused to say that Russia Vladimir Putin is simply a threat to the safety of the West.
His support for conspiracy theories besides raised concerns, including the denial of the Covid pandemic and the uncertainty that anyone always landed on the Moon.
In Romania, there is simply a giant NATO military base close the Black Sea, as well as an American rocket defense.
Georgescu presently describes himself as an academic teacher, but previously worked at the Ministry of abroad Affairs and at the UN.
He surely has supporters – his message "pure lifestyle, especially Romania" is popular, especially outside Bucharest.
But in the capital, many people worry about the direction in which their country can follow.
[again these emotions! and any anonymous "many people"...... - MS]
When asked if he understood why they were afraid, Georgescu shook his head: "It's just propaganda."
On Thursday evening, respective 1000 demonstrators gathered in the center of Bucharest to call on Romania to stay in a close alliance with Europe - many of them held the EU's blue flag.
Others brought Romanian flags with a circular gap in the middle, recalling how people cut out communist symbols after the 1989 Revolution.
Talking about Russian influences – the interference of Moscow in any form – is emotional for many. respective of them chanted: "Freedom!" and "Europe!".
One of the men told the BBC that he and his friends were with protesters on the streets of Bucharest 35 years ago and could not bear the thought of Romania returning to the past.
Another woman, Anca, said she saw Russia's "long arm" at work during the presidential election in Romania and came to the rally to show that she believed that the future of her country had to be firmly linked to Europe.
--------------
BBC.com
5 December 2024
Calin Georgescu, an highly nationalist politician leading the presidential election in Romania, told the BBC that if elected, he would end any support for Ukraine.
Georgescu, whose only election run was conducted on social media, said "Roman people" will become his priority.
However, he denied that his unexpected success to date was the consequence of Russia's-supported influence operation, saying that he did not care about the "lying" intelligence agencies of his country due to the fact that he works with God and people.
Wednesday, in a very different move, the outgoing president of Romania published declassified papers that described in item what was called a mass and "highly organized" run for Georgesc on TikTok, coordinated by a "state actor".
The papers included an intelligence assessment that Russia carries out hybrid attacks on Romania, which it sees as "an enemy state".
The Constitutional Court is presently being filled with requests to analyse the allegations of interference in order to cancel the elections.
The prosecutors announced present that they are launching a criminal investigation, but there is no agenda erstwhile it may end.
"They fear" – so Georgescu rejected evidence that hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent promoting the content of the election campaign, violating both Romanian electoral law and his own TikTok rules.
He denied that he was "the man of Moscow", referring mockery to Romanian "non-disclosure agencies".
"They cannot accept that the Romanian people have yet said, “We want our life back, our country, our dignity”, he said, presenting himself as fighting the relentless establishment.
In a sometimes sharp interview in which he praised Donald Trump and Hungarian populist leader Viktor Orban, Georgescu called Vladimir Putin "patriot and leader".
Then he added, "But I'm not a fan."
But erstwhile asked about Russia's war with Ukraine, he first asked, "Are you sure?", seemingly denying the existence of war.
He then said that Romania was only curious in seeking peace on its border, but refused to say that it should be done on the terms of Kiev.
When asked if he agreed to proceed on the side of Ukraine, as the EU says, "as long as necessary," Georgescu said, "No." He said everything would change.
"I only agree that I gotta take care of my people. I do not want to affect my people," he replied, explaining that Romania – an EU associate and NATO associate – will no longer supply military or political support to its neighbour.
- Zero. Everything stops. All I gotta do is take care of my people. We have many problems ourselves."
It would be a extremist change in Bucharest's position, which would be music to Russian ears.
The president in Romania has considerable power, [according to Romanian publicists' entries on Ghande.org. president Romaniani has small influence on Romanian authorities - MS] impact on areas specified as abroad policy. He is besides the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and appoints Prime Minister.
Romania has a long border with Ukraine and since the full-scale invasion in 2022 has been a staunch supporter of Kiev.
The Patriot rocket defence strategy was provided, as well as financial support. It besides became a key export way for Ukrainian grain as Russian bombings paralyzed the work of its ports.
Under Georgescu's leadership, Romania joined Hungary and Slovakia as a Russian sympathizer on the east flank of NATO.
This would besides be a major blow to EU solidarity with Ukraine, which is facing the possible of taking greater work for helping Kiev with Donald Trump back in the White House.
Georgescu stressed that he would keep Romania in the EU and NATO, but from now on everything will be "negotiated" and focus on the interests of his country.
He refused to say that Russia Vladimir Putin is simply a threat to the safety of the West.
His support for conspiracy theories besides raised concerns, including the denial of the Covid pandemic and the uncertainty that anyone always landed on the Moon.
In Romania, there is simply a giant NATO military base close the Black Sea, as well as an American rocket defense.
Georgescu presently describes himself as an academic teacher, but previously worked at the Ministry of abroad Affairs and at the UN.
He surely has supporters – his message "pure lifestyle, especially Romania" is popular, especially outside Bucharest.
But in the capital, many people worry about the direction in which their country can follow.
[again these emotions! and any anonymous "many people"...... - MS]
When asked if he understood why they were afraid, Georgescu shook his head: "It's just propaganda."
On Thursday evening, respective 1000 demonstrators gathered in the center of Bucharest to call on Romania to stay in a close alliance with Europe - many of them held the EU's blue flag.
Others brought Romanian flags with a circular gap in the middle, recalling how people cut out communist symbols after the 1989 Revolution.
Talking about Russian influences – the interference of Moscow in any form – is emotional for many. respective of them chanted: "Freedom!" and "Europe!".
One of the men told the BBC that he and his friends were with protesters on the streets of Bucharest 35 years ago and could not bear the thought of Romania returning to the past.
Another woman, Anca, said she saw Russia's "long arm" at work during the presidential election in Romania and came to the rally to show that she believed that the future of her country had to be firmly linked to Europe.
--------------
ilfatoquotidiano.it
In Romania there is an investigation into the Russian infiltration of TikTok following the cancelled elections. Georgescu: "Go and vote"
by F. Q. 7 December 2024.
Suspects of Russian interference distort the consequence of a vote in Romania, where the consequence of the first circular of presidential elections has been overturned in utmost cases. The winner, who came out of the first round, was the candidate of Calin Georgescu's far right (pictured), who called the voters to go next day to urns.
And now the judicial chapter opens, with the beginning of the investigation: in fact, a number of searches have already been carried out to verify all crimes of electoral corruption, money laundering, computer forgery, but besides possible violations of the law prohibiting neo-fascist, racist and xenophobic formations. Police and judicial controls focused in peculiar on any houses in Braszów, a city in central Romania, and the mark would include a individual active in the illegal financing of Georgesc's election campaign, run almost entirely on TikTok.
Lega: "Cancell the vote? A very dangerous precedent" - The echo of the Romanian case involving the EU associate State and holding a strategical position on the South-East NATO Front, on the border with Ukraine, in the meantime it continues to spread throughout Europe and in Italy there is simply a divided in most government.
Lega: "Cancell the vote? A very dangerous precedent" - The echo of the Romanian case involving the EU associate State and holding a strategical position on the South-East NATO Front, on the border with Ukraine, in the meantime it continues to spread throughout Europe and in Italy there is simply a divided in most government.
A clear position towards the Bucharest court decision was taken by the League, according to which "the annulment of the democratic vote" due to the fact that Soros and the EU did not like it, "is a worrying and very dangerous precedent".
The substance will almost surely go to the plenary of the European Parliament. And it will be a clash. besides due to the fact that the Commission is full in favour of the Constitutional Court.
Russia's alleged infiltration
Russia's alleged infiltration
- I'm sorry. The annulment of the presidential election by the Constitutional Court, just 2 days before the second circular of elections, occurred after the declassified confidential intelligence services papers that accuse TikTok and alleged destabilising Russian maneuvers. Reactions to the ultimate Court verdict in Romania were mixed. While any political leaders, including Social Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolac, considered it "the only right decision", others, including Two contenders for tomorrow's failed second circular of the Calin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi elections, powerfully criticized her, calling her "illegal", "immoral" and "anti-democratic".
From Georgesc, who did not hesitate to talk about the authentic "state coup", inviting voters to go to the polls tomorrow, the day the second circular of elections should take place.
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Elections in Romania, Constitutional Court nullifies the first circular due to Russian interference. Georgescu: "It's a full-scale coup"
After the election, which sealed the triumph in the first circular of pro-Russian candidate far right of Calin Georgesc, Romania found herself at a crossroads: to return to the urn and choose between him and pro-EU candidate Elena Lasconi. But the Constitutional Court stopped everything: as the supporters of the pro-European front condemned on the days of the vote, even the judges ruled that it was flawed due to "Russian interference".
"I will stay in office until the election of the fresh president," says Klaus Iohannis, outgoing head of the Romanian state. In a message addressed to the Iohannis people, he assured "investors, EU and NATO" that Romania remains "a solid and unchangeable country".
Georgescu, an utmost right-wing candidate in the second circular of the Romanian presidential election, called the Constitutional Court's decision to annul the first circular of voting "a coup d'état of the state".
"Roman State took democracy and trampled it".
In a akin tone, the statements of the leader of the main far-right party, George Simion, who condemns the annulment as a "full-sized coup":
In a akin tone, the statements of the leader of the main far-right party, George Simion, who condemns the annulment as a "full-sized coup":
"But we're not going out on the streets. The strategy must fall democratically," he says.
Simion is the organization president of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, who won 18 percent of the vote last Sunday in the parliamentary election, the second organization after the Social Democrats.
The second circular of elections between the 2 candidates was originally scheduled for Sunday 8 December, after the first circular held on 24 November, but little than 48 hours before the beginning of the polling stations, the Constitutional Court held everything: After declassified confidential safety papers concerning alleged abroad interference, notably Russia, In the election run held on TikTok from Calin Georgescu it would appear that the winner of the first circular would be favoured by a platform that would offer him favorable conditions.
The judges explained that the decision was made to "ensure the fairness and legality of the electoral process" after receiving many requests in this case, motivated by declassified intelligence documents, from which Russian interference in the vote follows.
But if anyone thinks this decision only punishes the candidate of the far right, Even Lasconi, who had access to the second circular of elections with respective votes, speaks of the Court's decision as "illegal, immoral and crushing the very essence of democracy":
"We should have held a vote," he said, we should have respected the will of the Romanian people. Whether we like it or not, from a legal and legal point of view, 9 million Romanian citizens, both in the country and in the diaspora, expressed their preference for a peculiar candidate through their vote. We cannot ignore their will."
However, the ultimate Court decision amazed observers after, in fresh days, ruling on appeals and objections, alternatively confirmed the result of the first circular of presidential elections, paving the way for the second round. This is so a step backwards compared to the situation a fewer days ago erstwhile the recalculation of the votes led to a green light being obtained by the Court, which seemingly has received papers in the last fewer hours which have greatly distorted its first assessment.
The European Union besides expressed concern this morning about the hazard of interference in the Romanian elections: "We are afraid about the increasing signs of a coordinated abroad influence operation on the net aimed at the ongoing elections in Romania, in peculiar on TikTok. The European Commission has taken action under the Digital Services Act against TikTok", wrote Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen on page X.
It will now be essential to realize whether the Court's assessments will origin repercussions for candidates and their eligibility. The Act provides that in the event of cancellation of elections they must be convened again on the second Sunday after the decision date, in this case 22 December. Since the Court has requested that the full electoral process be repeated, the electoral run should be repeated. However, if we were to start with the situation on 23 November, Georgesc remains the favourite at this point, who at the end of the vote counting ranked first with 23% of the vote, followed by Lasconi with about 20%. Social politician and pro-European prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, a favourite on the eve of the election, was pushed to 3rd place with 19.16% of the vote.
"I am very afraid about the condemnation of Russian hybrid actions aimed at entering the vote in Romania," writes Deputy Prime Minister and abroad Minister Antonio Tajani on social media. "Italy, besides as the G7 Presidency, is leading the way in protecting democracy and electoral processes," he added, "we proceed to work with partners from the EU to defend common values."
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December 6, 2024, 6:03 p.m.
Ludovic Orbán claims that the decision to nullify the presidential election has "the character of the coup": "CCR destroyed democracy in Romania!" / Calls for criminal investigation against constitutional judges
Andrei Stan - HotNews.ro
Party leader Ludovic Orban right-wing force powerfully commented on Friday on the Constitutional Court's decision to annul the presidential election, stating that the CoR "destroyed democracy in Romania" and that the decision "has the character of a coup d'état", appealing to the prosecutors at the advanced Court of Cassation and Justice to launch a criminal investigation against constitutional judges.
"CCR destroyed democracy in Romania! 9 people who temporarily hold the positions of judges of the Constitutional Court completely offensively invalidated the will act of Romanian citizens who expressed their options by voting for candidates in the first circular of the presidential election," Ludovic Orban wrote in a release published on his Facebook page.
"In addition, the same Constitutional Court which approved the first circular on Monday. After recalculating the votes in the first phase, the decision to approve will be taken before the recalculation process is completed," he added.
"Based on this precedent, we can anticipate any choice made by Romanian citizens to be cancelled. This means that we can come to a situation where CCR will no longer want to elect a president in Romania," says Orbán.
— Don't let anyone think I'm biased against Georgesc. This is no uncertainty a man supported by a network run and financed by Russia. But this should be proven earlier by institutions that defend national security," he continued.
The leader of the Right-wing Force is convinced that "Romans would have adequate discernment to vote for Elena Lasconi, especially after declassified CSAT documents".
"Today's CRK decision is simply a coup! The Public Prosecutor's Office at the advanced Court of Cassation and Justice should draw attention to this and launch a criminal investigation against CCR judges" - emphasised erstwhile Prime Minister and Liberal leader.
"In view of the composition of the Court, the 4 judges appointed by the PSD and the 4 appointed by Iohannis and the PNL, I ask myself a legitimate question: to have the CCR approve the first round, the candidates PSD and the PNL must enter the second round?", asked Ludovic Orban, ironically, at the end of his entry.
The first circular of the presidential election was cancelled on Friday by an unprecedented decision of the Constitutional Court.
The decision was made 2 days before the second circular of the presidential election, in which the independent candidate Calin Georgescu and russian candidate Elena Lasconi competed, given that the diaspora had already voted.
The first circular was approved by the CCR early this week, after the court asked to recalculate all over 9.4 million votes.
On Thursday, CCR received 4 notifications from SNSPA, the Institute for investigation on Totalitarianism, the publication of Calea Europe and candidate Cristian Terheș.
The notifications came after the declassified reports submitted to the CSAT by the safety services, which talk about an operation prepared in advance in favour of Calin Georgesc and having a "modus operandi state actor".
However, the CCR reported on Thursday evening that "it may consider appeals filed by eligible candidates in the second circular of the presidential election".
In Romania there is an investigation into the Russian infiltration of TikTok following the cancelled elections. Georgescu: "Go and vote" — Il Fatto Quotidiano
