site.btaUPDATED Romanian MEPs Discuss Political Crisis in Romania, Online Disinformation, TikTok's Role in Status Quo

Online misinformation and the dangers for free and fair elections in Europe will be on the European Parliament's agenda on Tuesday, following the decision of Romania's Constitutional Court to annul the first round of the presidential election over reports of possible foreign interference and suspicions of a coordinated campaign on the social network TikTok in favour of the independent far-right candidate for head of State, Calin Georgescu. Hours before the debate, BTA sought comments from Romanian MEPs from various political groups in the European Parliament.

Below are the responses that the MEPs sent to BTA:

How would you describe the situation on the political scene in Romania for your neighbours in Bulgaria?

Dan Barna (Renew Europe Group / Save Romania Union): "This is a delicate and very complicated moment for Romania. For a long while, I believed that Romania remained an exception in the European landscape. We were facing no major extremist wave, we were not the target of hybrid destabilization operations, social networks were not used as fertile ground for ultra-nationalist manipulations. The presidential election was a sudden awakening to a new reality. I choose to be optimistic though. The pro-European parties have a majority in Romania's future parliament, and the presidential candidate of the Save Romania Union, Ms Elena Lasconi, has shown that there is a democratic alternative to some isolationist and mendacious characters. We shall see how the negotiations to form a government with a clear mandate to keep Romania on the European and Euro-Atlantic path will proceed and, of course, when the new presidential elections will be held."

Nicolae Stefanuta (Group of the Greens / European Free Alliance, independent): "Romania is going through a crisis mainly because of what is happening within the country. The result of the first round of the presidential elections has created a society with two scenarios - people who want a European path and people who, based on Calin Georgescu's populist speech, believe that the European Union is not the solution. We must remember, however, that more than half of Romanians believe in the European project, and this shows us that the democratic path is the solution for the Romanian state. Romanians must be heard; their needs must be heard. Winter is coming, and it is cold. Did you know that millions of Romanians cannot pay their electricity bills nor have heating? That is what we need to talk about, to understand and to help them. When each and every one of us understands this, then Romania really will cope."

Adrian-George Axinia (European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Alliance for the Union of Romanians): "There was a coup d'état carried out by President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in Romania. Their main objective is to remain in power. The plan is as simple as possible: with no constitutional or legal basis, President Iohannis, with his own powers, has extended his term until April or May 2025. A new president will not take office until then. In the meantime, Iohannis will convene the newly elected parliament and reappoint Marcel Ciolacu as prime minister, the leader of the Romania's largest party, the Social Democratic Party, the direct successor to the Communist Party. It is very likely that, during this period, they will push through legislation that will ban representatives of the sovereignist movement from running for office and will try to install a puppet at the head of State. Just imagine if Donald Trump had been banned from running in the US. It should also be noted here that Romania's Constitution very clearly states that the term of office of the country's President is extended only in the event of war. That is not the case here."

Eugen Tomac (Renew Europe Group / People's Movement Party): "Romania has never faced such a political crisis before. The governance in recent years has created many disappointments, especially this year with four rounds of elections. As all the institutions were surprised by the scale of the illegal interference in the presidential election process, it was eventually decided to cancel the elections and restart the whole process next year. Against this backdrop, filled with uncertainty, pro-European democratic parties are negotiating the formation of a parliamentary majority and a new government capable of implementing a series of vital reforms, fairness and transparency in public spending. The crisis is in full swing and there is no indication that it will be easily overcome next year."

Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the presidential elections. The magistrates took this decision a few days after declaring the first round valid. To what do you attribute this change in their position?

Dan Barna: "The court's decision on the merits is constitutional. The court exists to make decisions based on the fundamental law. The court has the power to validate or nullify elections, for sure. If you ask me about the motivation, I certainly have some doubts. In its latest judgment, the court pointed out that there were new elements after the declassification of the Supreme Council of National Defence's documents. These documents, however, are no clear evidence in the legal sense. Clear investigations and verdicts will be needed for two reasons: firstly, we need to understand clearly what happened beyond scenarios and suggestions and, secondly, only then will people regain confidence in their democratic institutions."

Nicolae Stefanuta: "I cannot comment on the constitutionality or unconstitutionality of this decision. I am not a judge, nor a constitutionalist. The declassification of the Supreme Council of National Defence's documents on November 28 showed that there was probably interference from another country, and this should not be ignored. I think we need to analyze the situation and see what we can do. We cannot allow something like this in a democratic country. The whole focus during this period must be on creating a pro-European government and getting to know the new candidates for these elections as soon as possible. Romania needs pro-European candidates who really care about our country, about the people."

Adrian-George Axinia: "Citizens were denied the basic right to vote and decide their future. On top of that, this happened after the electoral process had already begun: the diaspora was already voting (in the second round) when Romania's Constitutional Court decided to annul the elections. At this point, political power is pumping colossal sums from the state budget into Romania's mainstream media to support its own narrative and justify the suspension of democracy. They violated not only the Romanian Constitution but also primary legislation, which stated that if the elections were cancelled, they would have to be repeated in two weeks' time. At this point, we do not even know when they will be. It will be up to the government to decide.

"The annulment of the elections was carried out by the Constitutional Court, an institution with nine judges: four appointed by President Klaus Iohannis and his party, four appointed by the Social Democratic Party and one appointed by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania. These people follow political orders, and the Constitutional Court is one of the most contested institutions in Romania. The magistrates made a decision without constitutional basis. They were simply afraid that the representative of the sovereignist movement would become president and appoint a prime minister from the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, the conservative party that I represent. This is not the first time that the Constitutional Court has restricted the right to choose: it did the same in September, when it arbitrarily banned the candidacy of a sovereignist representative. What happened then is equivalent to the French deciding to ban Marine Le Pen from running or the Italians banning Giorgia Meloni's candidacy."

Cristian Terhes (European Conservatives and Reformists Group / Romanian National Conservative Party): "The Constitutional Court of Romania did not annul the Romanian vote but the electoral procedure in its entirety, because it was flawed. When the fairness of the electoral process is vitiated, national sovereignty is violated, which is unacceptable. All Romanians were unhappy: some because the elections were cancelled, others because they were not fair, and a candidate they did not want made it to the second round. That is why the main priority of the authorities is for the elections to be fair and untainted by various interferences and frauds. I am in favour of the participation of as many observers as possible in the electoral process."

Eugen Tomac: "All institutions have repeatedly stated that although there was external interference, the voting process was not affected. It would be normal for the elections to continue. The decision to suspend the process while voting abroad was already underway has sharply divided the public. Moreover, some of the reasons cited by Romania's Constitutional Court were known before the first round began. The annulment of elections under these conditions is a very dangerous precedent for Romanian democracy. In my opinion, the elections should have gone ahead, and I believe that the citizens would have voted for the pro-European candidate."

Calin Georgescu's election campaign has put EU norms on social networks to the test. The subject enters plenary on Tuesday afternoon. What needs to be done in Romania and in the EU?

Dan Barna: "The freedom to vote is sacred. No one should be condemned for having expressed their position. Beyond manipulation and disinformation, Georgescu was elected by real people who decided to express their dissatisfaction with the parties that have ruled in coalition for the last three years in this way. It is telling that neither the Social Democratic Party candidate nor the National Liberal Party candidate made it to the second round, is it not? But to your question. We must strictly enforce the Digital Services Act."

Eugen Tomac: "The European Union must regulate much more closely and transparently what is and is not allowed during election campaigns. After this precedent, we need clearer rules for the social media giants. Otherwise, in the next five years, we could wake up with Putin everywhere in Europe, because that is what follows from hybrid warfare - chaos and distrust in institutions. Thus, the decline of democracy becomes an increasingly fertile ground for totalitarianism."

Nicolae Stefanuta: "Calin Georgescu ran a viral campaign on TikTok, amassing 92.8 million views in the last two months, with over 25,000 accounts activated two weeks before the first round. The fact that he created a new account that reached approximately 4.5 million views in a day raises questions. My colleague from the Group of the Greens, Alexandra Geese, and I made enquiries to the European Commission to examine the extent to which TikTok is in breach of the Digital Services Act, especially as there is an indication that TikTok's algorithm may be leading to the viral spread of disinformation. Furthermore, following the hearing in the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), it was established that TikTok does not take responsibility for fake news and election propaganda. Although tens of thousands of accounts were closed, the measures taken were insufficient. The law is clear that what is illegal in everyday life is also illegal online. TikTok must be held accountable, if it is found to have failed to comply with European rules."

Adrian-George Axinia: "There is talk of brainwashing people on TikTok and Facebook. As if the Democrats cancelled the US election, because there were too many Republicans on Elon Musk's X platform getting their message across. Still, draconian measures are being taken to restrict freedom of expression on the Internet. The police imposed fines on many citizens who expressed their support for Calin Georgescu or Elena Lasconi, the two candidates who reached the second round of the presidential elections."

Cristian Terhes: "What should be demanded is not blocking access to social networks but transparency of the funds used in the campaign, because this is where the corruption lies. When you do not declare the amounts used in the campaign, you are clearly corrupting the electoral process."

Should TikTok be banned in Romania?

Dan Barna: "We haven't reached that measure yet, but the company has a lot of explaining to do. In a democracy and in a state governed by the rule of law, the decision must be made on the basis of evidence after investigations and with very serious motivation."

Nicolae Stefanuta: "Approximately nine million Romanians use TikTok. I do not think that blocking this platform is a solution. I believe in positive solutions, not extreme ones. TikTok should really implement the control and regulation mechanisms. The platform should have educational content, not help spread disinformation."

Cristian Terhes: "Blocking TikTok in Romania or the EU would be a big mistake and a gross violation of fundamental rights. The fact that Calin Georgescu's campaign knew how to use TikTok better than other candidates is to their credit. The problem is not TikTok but Calin Georgescu who did not declare his campaign funds. TikTok should not be shut down for this, but those who broke the law should be held accountable."

Eugen Tomac: "If TikTok does not take measures to be more transparent, then no solution should be ruled out."