Romanian Media Say Russia's Trying to Interfere in Country's Elections

Russia is working to influence the Romanian presidential election to be held in late November and early December, Romanian TV channel Digi24 reports, citing sources.

According to the TV channel, Russia is trying to influence the Romanian elections ‘through proxies, through intermediaries, such as Russian-linked or Russian-funded organisations and institutions, possibly including candidates’.

The publication claims that every Russian citizen in Romania is ‘under constant monitoring’ and that the country's counterintelligence is monitoring possible attempts to ‘call into question Romania's membership in the European Union and NATO’.

Additionally, Romanian MPs have drawn attention to the problem, calling for an investigation into whether countries such as Russia, China, and North Korea are interfering in the elections, for example, by attacking Romanian government agencies with their hackers.

Among other signs of such influence, Digi24 cites networks of bots and trolls on social media trying to ‘obtain illegitimate content to promote certain candidates,’ which has led to the opening of proceedings by the Romanian police.

The first round of the presidential election in Romania will be held on 24 November, and the second round on 8 December. The current president, the National Liberals' Klaus Iohannis, cannot remain in office for a third term.

Last month, one of the candidates for the Romanian presidency, former NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană, was caught up in a scandal when it emerged that his former campaign coordinator had links to a Russian propagandist and businessman.