Romanian democracy: no place for the 'TikTok messiah' Calin Georgescu

"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".

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'Plotting a coup d'état'

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."

Astonishing intervention

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.