EU democracy test: How Romania’s election was cancelled

In 2025, Romania experienced one of the most controversial election crises in the European Union’s history.

After a landslide first-round victory by anti-establishment candidate Kalin Georgescu, Romanian authorities — under pressure from Brussels — cancelled the vote, citing alleged foreign interference on TikTok.

But official investigations later found no evidence of Russian involvement. Independent journalists uncovered that the online campaign used as justification was allegedly funded by Romania’s own National Liberal Party.