Romanian Election Rocked by Russian Cyber Attacks and TikTok Influence Campaign

Romanian intelligence links state-sponsored interference to a far-right candidate's unexpected rise ahead of Sunday's presidential runoff.

Romania's intelligence agency has declassified documents revealing over 85,000 cyber attacks targeting election infrastructure, allegedly by a state-sponsored actor, likely Russia.
Far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, a NATO critic and Putin admirer, surged from obscurity to win the first round of voting, raising concerns about foreign interference and social media manipulation.
Romanian authorities allege TikTok's algorithms and paid promotions disproportionately boosted Georgescu's campaign, violating electoral transparency rules, though TikTok denies any wrongdoing.
The intelligence documents detail $381,000 spent promoting Georgescu on TikTok through covert accounts, despite his claims of spending no campaign funds.
Romanian officials and EU bodies are being urged to investigate the influence campaign, as protests and calls for action grow ahead of the decisive runoff election on Sunday.