Podcast

How far-right candidate Georgescu's TikTok rocked the Romanian election

Thursday 5 December 2024 17:17, UK

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It's Romania's turn at the polls on Sunday, in a contest where a far-right candidate had a surprise lead in the first round of voting.

Calin Georgescu is a little-known, independent, anti-NATO, pro-Russia candidate, who is in a presidential run-off against centrist leader Elena Lasconi.

The social media platform TikTok is credited with helping Georgescu to make those unexpected gains - becoming an effective way for the right to spread its message, and sway voter opinion.

But Romania's authorities have suggested "a state-sponsored actor" has made a major attempt to interfere in the elections using TikTok, and with a series of cyber attacks. Georgescu's been accused of undeclared campaign spending and not labelling political advertising.

Matt Barbet hosts today's Paste BN Daily, and is joined by our Europe correspondent Adam Parsons in Romania, who's been speaking to Calin Georgescu. Plus, Anda Solea, a lecturer in cyber crime at the University of Portsmouth, discusses how Georgescu used TikTok to rise to the top in the Romanian election.

You can watch Adam's full interview with the Romanian presidential candidate here.

Producer: Soila Apparicio
Editor: Philly Beaumont

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