DISINFO: Brussels pressure had Calin Georgescu removed on false claims of collaboration with Russia
SUMMARY
Le Pen's removal from politics is not the first incident [of its kind] in Europe. As a result of pressure from Brussels, the results of the presidential election held in Romania and the victory of Calin Georgescu, who won in the first round, were annulled. Georgescu did not meet the standards of the EU conjuncture, and his presidency could create obstacles to Brussels' geopolitical plans. Therefore, the easiest way was chosen - to accuse Georgescu of collaborating with Russia.
RESPONSE
Disinformation narrative accusing the EU of interfering in the elections of EU member states, comparing the ban on Marine Le Pen from holding public office to the ban on Calin Georgescu from running in the rerun of the 2024 Romanian presidential elections annulled by the Romanian authorities.
On December 6, 2024, Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election, which had taken place on November 24. This unprecedented decision came just days before the scheduled run-off between ultranationalist candidate Călin Georgescu and his opponent, Elena Lasconi. The court's ruling was primarily based on allegations of significant Russian interference in the electoral process, particularly through social media platforms like TikTok, which allegedly favoured Georgescu's campaign. The court's decision was prompted by declassified intelligence reports from Romanian security services that indicated a coordinated campaign to manipulate public perception and sway electoral outcomes in favour of Georgescu. These reports highlighted a mass influence operation that bore similarities to tactics used by Russia in other Eastern European nations.
The annulment was not a directive from the EU or external entities but a domestic judicial decision grounded in concerns for electoral integrity and legality. The Romanian Constitutional Court acted upon multiple legal challenges that cited these intelligence disclosures as justification for nullifying the election results. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu supported this decision, stating it was necessary to uphold the democratic process and ensure that Romanian voters were not subjected to foreign manipulation. Furthermore, President Klaus Iohannis's declassification of intelligence documents was crucial in shaping the court's response. This action underscores that the annulment stemmed from national security concerns rather than external pressures from Brussels or EU institutions.
While the Constitutional Court’s decision has caused controversy in Romania, nothing is indicating that Western actors had anything to do with overturning the election results. The decision was adopted after the discovery of irregular elements behind Georgescu’s campaign, which pointed to a foreign interference campaign, especially through TikTok and illegal funding. The EU has demanded a full inquiry on Russia’s role in these incidents.
As regards the ban on Marie Le Pen from holding public positions, she was charged with misappropriating funds from the European Parliament meant to pay for parliamentary assistants and using that money to pay for party employees who did not work on EU-related business from November 2004 to January 2016. The court estimated that the National Rally embezzled more than €4 million, €474,000 of which Le Pen was personally responsible for, first as an MEP and then later as party president. Prosecutors put forward several pieces of particularly damning evidence during hundreds of hours of court proceedings.
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