On Monday, December 2, Russian president Vladimir Putin commented ironically on the decision to recount votes from the first round of Romania's presidential elections following the surprising victory of pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu. 

"A candidate was not to the liking of the authorities, so they decided to recount the votes," the Kremlin leader stated during a meeting with young scientists broadcast on state television.

The same day, the Romanian Constitutional Court validated the results of the first round of the presidential elections. The Court rejected a request alleging electoral fraud from Cristian Terheș, a candidate backed by the Romanian National Conservative Party who won some 1% of the votes.

Russia recently denied being involved in elections in other countries, including those in Romania, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. However, he pointed out that Russia is watching what happens in the Romanian presidential elections but does not plan to make predictions regarding the second round.

Russian media, on the other hand, commented on the elections. TASS, Russia’s state news agency, said in an article that Georgescu is reserved about Romania’s NATO membership and has been cautiously pushing for normalization with Russia.

Another Russian news outlet, RBC, noted that Calin Georgescu called Ukraine an “invented state” and was critical of the US anti-missile shield in Deveselu, southern Romania. He also claimed that NATO would not defend any of its members if they were attacked by Russia.

Accounts on social media also commented on the rise of the far-right politician Calin Georgescu after the first round of the presidential elections.

An account claiming to be Aleksandr Dugin, a Russian political philosopher close to Russian president Vladimir Putin, noted that “Romania will be part of Russia.” The message, posted on X, was in connection to “progressives and the Democratic elite” from the United States. It was implying that no country is friendly to the US’ Democratic Party after Donald Trump’s victory in the recent presidential elections and that Russia’s influence is growing in the world.

The account, however, is not officially credited to Dugin.

The spokesman of Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andrei Țărnea, responded on the same social media platform. "So predictable! Since Romanians proudly celebrated their Union Day yesterday, we are reminded that Russia did not recognize the Union. It only did so begrudgingly under the combined effect of Romanian sovereign will & Western power pressure. The same will make Russia fail again." 

In a recent interview given after the first round of Romania’s presidential elections, Aleksandr Dugin said surprise far-right candidate Călin Georgescu, which placed first, is “easier to deal with,” according to Antena 3.

"Călin Georgescu is a remarkable politician. He cannot be called pro-Russian, but he is similar to Orban. He is against globalism, against the liberal agenda, a Romanian patriot, a devout Orthodox, a traditionalist, a conservative. It is much easier for Russia to deal with such a politician than with someone else," Dugin said. 

He also claimed that Georgescu would not support Moldova's alignment with the European Union. "And if, by God's will, this patriotic candidate, Călin Georgescu, wins, Moldova will have nowhere else to go. If it leans toward Romania, it will end up closer to a bloc allied with us," he added. 

Dugin also touched on the theme of "rejecting globalism," a favorite narrative of the Kremlin aimed at undermining trust among conservative citizens in the European Union.

"He is an excellent candidate. He is useful for us," Aleksandr Dugin concluded.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Igor Dolgov | Dreamstime.com)