The Far Right Rise in Europe : Romania

2024 is the year of elections and in Europe, the far right conquers land. Seven European states — Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Finland, The Netherlands and Slovakia — now have far right parties within their government. 

A new tool for propaganda

European Parliament elections in France triggered a new tendency as the Rassemblement National’s representative Jordan Bardella won the race with a score of 31,8

With “edits” and video excerpts trying to bring sympathy for far right politicians, TikTok has become a real political tool. It appears that Jordan Bardella is establishing a substantive strategy, sometimes trying to appeal to a young audience (around 15 years old) who cannot even vote yet, perhaps to prepare for the future elections (2027-2032). 

In France, the Rassemblement National is known for its many attempts to de-demonise the party and this new tool for propaganda could be the right one to do so.

Romania’s situation

On Sunday 24th of November, a collective shock hit Romania and one name came out from the unknown : C?lin Georgescu. Former executive director of the United Nations, Georgescu’s views have been described as pro-Russian, anti-NATO, far-right but also ultranationalist, far-right populist and extremist. The unexpected rise to the top of this never-seen-before candidate in the first round of Romania’s presidential election has divided the country to a new extent. 

Romania became a democracy 35 years ago. Following World War II, Romania was part of the Soviet Empire’s satellite states and therefore was submitted to a communist government. From 1948 to 1989, the country was governed by the Romanian Communist Party. But in December 1989, the Romanian Revolution took place and overthrew the repression partly caused  by dictator Nicolae Ceau?escu (the country’s head of state from 1967 to 1989). After such a political upheaval, the country swayed between two dominant parties : centre-left social democrats (PSD, Partidul Social Democrat) and centre-right liberals (PNL, Partidul Na?ional Liberal) which had their fair share in scandals. Corruption, nepotism, fraud, unexplained use of public funds… All of these factors deepened public mistrust in parties that were not representing them correctly.

However, if it seemed that — just like many countries submitted to great dictatorships — Romania would have been cautious with who is brought to power, more than 2 million Romanians voted for Georgescu. Swept up by the politicians’ influence on TikTok, many voters were convinced thanks to patriotic statements such as the promise of “putting Romania first”. Moreover, Georgescu’s arrival was also seen as a way to put an end to the unremitting dishonesty of the previous parties at the head of the country. Voting for this unknown politician was not necessarily an ideological vote that aligned with far-right desires, but one led by frustration. Commonly, if it is easy to accuse far-right voters of lacking education or of being victims of misinformation, it is also unassuming of Romania’s context. The previous mainstream parties failed to tackle issues like inflation (Romania has one of the highest rates in Europe), therefore, Georgescu appears to a desperate population as the saviour the country needs.

TikTok accused of electoral manipulation

While Romania has a population of 19 million inhabitants, TikTok has 9 million users in the country. Georgescu chose to campaign almost exclusively through the platform, barely appearing physically to voters, and, with 277 000 followers and 92,8 million views, the politician affirms himself as an iconic figure of TikTok in Romania. In a recent video he stated “The Internet is the only space where freedom of speech exists”, recalling ideas defended by Trump and Elon Musk.

However, Georgescu’s online presence is not only due to his political party’s strategy. Since war between Ukraine and Russia broke out, Putin’s aim was to infuse fear in European countries (especially in Eastern Europe) and to mask a growing imperialist ambition according to The Guardian journalist Paula Erizanu. One of the ways this strategy was established has been through a thorough social media presence which spreads misinformation and propaganda, and it is clear that Georgescu has an important role in this masterplan. His statements included claims of the West preparing to go to war against the East, and a promise of ending Romania’s military help to Ukraine. He declared that Ukrainian children received more state support than Romanian kids. His rhetoric has a clear goal: to pervade insecurity in people’s minds and to reassure them with a nationalist sentiment.

The European Commission has sent a request to TikTok to access information about the role the platform held in Georgescu’s power upheaval. On the 8th of December, Romanian authorities annulled the first-round of the elections after secret documents showing a Russian-linked network were declassified. Furthermore, twenty armed men in Georgescu’s circle were arrested, and subsequently reported Hora?iu Potra – head of a private military company hiring mercenaries – as their coordinator.

An outlet for frustration or, as the far-right politician describes himself, a “God sent avenger for the Romanian people”, C?lin Georgescu’s arrival has made history in a complex political context. With Romania’s geographical situation (sharing frontiers with Ukraine and Hungary) and the Kremlin’s desire to spread their empire discreetly, what will come out of this case will definitely change far-right politics in Europe.

Crédits photographiques : BUSI2010, Calin-Georgescu-3, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/52971610@N07/5613714145/in/photolist-9y4KCV-TWDRXv-2pXneDe-aE8SmM-aMFWne-aE8SkB-8Bcwuh-2pXoPnN-aMjKtB-2pXoPnY-aMjKfi-aMFVVP-2aXhXBP-2pXoNGu-2pXok1G.

Sources :

Romanian election: What the hell is going on? – POLITICO

En France, TikTok peut-il influencer des votes ? | France Culture

En Roumanie, comment Tik Tok perturbe l’élection présidentielle ? | France Culture

My father voted for Romania’s ultra-nationalist. I am beginning to understand why | Andrei Popoviciu | The Guardian

Romania’s ‘rigged’ election shows Europe the dangers of Russian disinformation | Paula Erizanu | The Guardian

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