Romanian democracy: no place for the 'TikTok messiah' Calin Georgescu
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
"The Romanian state seems to have woken up," said Carmen Dumitrescu in Republica (Bucharest). Last week, the prosecutor general charged the ultranationalist Calin Georgescu on six counts, including lying about his campaign finances and having links to a fascist group.
Georgescu, aka the "TikTok messiah", has been the poster boy for right-wing conspiracists ever since his startling victory in the first round of the presidential election last December was annulled on the grounds of Russian interference. Both the US Vice-President J.D. Vance and the tech billionaire Elon Musk claimed Georgescu had been cancelled by Europe's liberal elite on the pretext of nothing more than a handful of Moscow-funded social media ads.
And for weeks, the Romanian state, intimidated into silence, did nothing to challenge Vance's version of events, even when Georgescu was caught meeting with mercenary leaders who were reportedly plotting to incite unrest. Now, though, there are signs that the state "is fighting back".
Not before time, said Sabina Fati in Deutsche Welle (Bonn). Prosecutors have uncovered a shocking plot against Romanian democracy that goes far beyond a Russian TikTok campaign.
A search of the home of Georgescu's bodyguard, Horatiu Potra, uncovered gold bars, assault weapons and ammunition hidden in secret rooms, plus more than $2m hidden under the floor. Potra has close links with Russia's Wagner mercenary group.
In addition, another close associate of Georgescu reportedly plotted with a Russian military intelligence officer to "establish patriotic forces" that would "storm" state institutions in the wake of the election annulment. "In other words, Georgescu stands accused of plotting a coup d'état."
Yet Musk continues to "shower" him with "messages of solidarity", said Tobias Zick in Tages-Anzeiger (Zürich). Musk tweeted that Georgescu's arrest was "messed up", while reportedly the Trump administration is "putting pressure on Romania behind closed doors to ensure Georgescu is allowed to stand in new elections in May".
It's an astonishing intervention in Romanian democracy. Let's just hope the evidence against Georgescu is solid enough to secure a conviction, said Gabriel Bejan on HotNews (Bucharest). Because if the presidential frontrunner has been charged on evidence that's less than cast iron, it will be trotted out by Trump's people at every future meeting with EU leaders. "If this is what European democracy looks like, you have no right to criticise us. You have far bigger problems." That's what they'll say.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
24 minutes ago
- Washington Post
‘This president has shown he wants to get what he wants'
Good morning, Early Birds. The Chicago White Sox couldn't get much worse, but at least they have the pope. Send tips to earlytips@ Thanks for waking up with us. In today's edition … DOGE cuts could get a vote in the House … a détente between Musk and Trump? … but first …
San Francisco Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
3 killed and scores injured as Russia targets Ukraine with new attacks
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have pummeled Ukraine with drones and other weapons, killing three people and injuring scores of others despite international pressure to accept a ceasefire, officials said Thursday. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched a barrage of 63 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight. It said that air defenses destroyed 28 drones while another 21 were jammed. Ukraine's police said two people were killed and six were injured over the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said. The head of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, said that 15 people, including four children, were injured by Russian drone attacks overnight. Kharkiv city mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones targeted residential districts, educational facilities, kindergartens and other civilian infrastructure. 'Kharkiv is holding on. People are alive. And that is the most important thing,' Terekhov said. The Russian military has launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. The recent escalation in aerial attacks has come alongside a renewed Russian battlefield push along eastern and northeastern parts of the more than 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line. While Russian missile and drone barrage have struck regions all across Ukraine, regions along the front line have faced daily Russian attacks with short-range exploding drones and glide bombs. Ukraine hit back with drone raids. Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 52 Ukrainian drones early Thursday, including 41 over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were injured by Ukrainian attacks Thursday. The attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During their June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as nonstarters, making any quick deal unlikely. Speaking at a meeting of leaders of southeast European countries in Odesa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the European Union to toughen its latest package of sanctions against Russia. He argued that lowering the cap on the price of Russian oil from $60 to $45 as the bloc has proposed isn't enough. 'Real peace comes with a $30 cap -– that's the level that will truly change thinking in Moscow,' Zelenskyy said. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv Thursday on an unannounced visit, noting that the stepped-up Russian attacks on Ukraine send a message from Moscow that it has 'no interest in a peaceful solution at present,' according to German news agency dpa. 'Of course this will also be about how the support of Germany and other Europeans will look in future – what we can do, for example, in the area of industrial cooperation, but also other support,' he said.
Hamilton Spectator
28 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
3 killed and scores injured as Russia targets Ukraine with new attacks
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have pummeled Ukraine with drones and other weapons, killing three people and injuring scores of others despite international pressure to accept a ceasefire, officials said Thursday. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched a barrage of 63 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight. It said that air defenses destroyed 28 drones while another 21 were jammed. Ukraine's police said two people were killed and six were injured over the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said. The head of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, said that 15 people, including four children, were injured by Russian drone attacks overnight. Kharkiv city mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones targeted residential districts, educational facilities, kindergartens and other civilian infrastructure. 'Kharkiv is holding on. People are alive. And that is the most important thing,' Terekhov said. The Russian military has launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. The recent escalation in aerial attacks has come alongside a renewed Russian battlefield push along eastern and northeastern parts of the more than 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line. While Russian missile and drone barrage have struck regions all across Ukraine, regions along the front line have faced daily Russian attacks with short-range exploding drones and glide bombs. Ukraine hit back with drone raids. Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 52 Ukrainian drones early Thursday, including 41 over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were injured by Ukrainian attacks Thursday. The attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During their June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as nonstarters , making any quick deal unlikely. Speaking at a meeting of leaders of southeast European countries in Odesa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the European Union to toughen its latest package of sanctions against Russia. He argued that lowering the cap on the price of Russian oil from $60 to $45 as the bloc has proposed isn't enough. 'Real peace comes with a $30 cap -– that's the level that will truly change thinking in Moscow,' Zelenskyy said. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv Thursday on an unannounced visit, noting that the stepped-up Russian attacks on Ukraine send a message from Moscow that it has 'no interest in a peaceful solution at present,' according to German news agency dpa. Pistorius said his visit underlines that the new German government continues to stand by Ukraine. 'Of course this will also be about how the support of Germany and other Europeans will look in future – what we can do, for example, in the area of industrial cooperation, but also other support,' he said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
