By Ashwani Mishra, Editor-Technology, 63SATS
“Tick-tock, tick-tock, merrily sings the clock. It’s time for work, it’s time for play, so it sings throughout the day.”
The simplicity of a child’s song, with its rhythmic tick-tock, mirrors the constant rhythm of democratic processes.
Elections, like the ticking of a clock, mark the passage of time in governance—symbolizing progress, accountability, and the people’s will. But what happens when the rhythm falters? When outside forces manipulate the beat of democracy?
Romania’s recent presidential election, marred by alleged TikTok interference, offers a lesson on of how a playful tune can echo a darker melody.
Election Interference: When the Clock is Rewound
Romania’s annulment of its first-round presidential election results is a historic decision, triggered by evidence of external interference on TikTok.
The far-right ultranationalist candidate, Cǎlin Georgescu, once a marginal figure, surged to the forefront, securing nearly 23% of the vote—an improbable rise fuelled by a coordinated propaganda campaign. Declassified intelligence revealed that this digital manipulation was not an organic expression of voter preference but an orchestrated effort to tilt the scales in his favour.
Just as a clock’s ticking relies on the precision of its gears, elections depend on the integrity of their systems.
Yet in Romania, the mechanisms of democracy were tampered with—TikTok posts, bots, and influencers collaborated to amplify Georgescu’s narrative. The manipulation exploited human psychology, leveraging algorithms to create a facade of widespread support.
The result? A democratic clock ticking out of sync.
The TikTok Connection: Digital Propaganda in Action
TikTok, a platform synonymous with creativity and fun, played an unexpected role in reshaping Romania’s political landscape. Thousands of bot and human-operated accounts flooded the platform with posts supporting Georgescu. These posts, featuring popular hashtags, emoji strings, and videos of athletes and government symbols, presented him as a unifying figure. In reality, many voters only Googled his name after the election—a glaring disconnect between perception and reality.
What makes this interference alarming is its precision. The bots’ unique IP addresses evaded detection, while paid influencers and Telegram groups ensured the content’s proliferation. TikTok’s failure to flag and restrict this activity in real-time highlighted vulnerabilities in both its monitoring systems and Romania’s election laws.
Russia’s Shadow: A Familiar Playbook
While Romanian authorities stopped short of directly naming Russia, the fingerprints of its digital warfare were evident. The tactics resembled those deployed in Moldova’s recent presidential election, and the U.S. State Department explicitly mentioned Russian involvement in malign activities targeting Romania’s electoral integrity. The Kremlin’s playbook, honed over years of meddling in foreign elections, thrives on exploiting social media to polarize, distract, and destabilize.
Russia’s interest in Romania’s election was likely tied to Georgescu’s platform—his anti-EU, anti-NATO stance aligned with Moscow’s geopolitical ambitions. By propping up a candidate who questioned Romania’s Western alliances, the interference sought to disrupt the country’s strategic direction.
Digital Infrastructure Under Siege
The interference didn’t stop at propaganda.
Romanian intelligence uncovered tens of thousands of cyberattacks targeting the country’s electoral infrastructure. While most attempts were unsuccessful, attackers managed to breach a GIS mapping server linked to the electoral registry.
Though limited in impact, the breach highlighted the vulnerabilities in electoral systems, where even minor disruptions can undermine public trust.
This dual-pronged assault—digital propaganda combined with cyberattacks—illustrates the evolving nature of election interference that targets minds and machines alike.
The Repercussions: Romania Fights Back
Romania’s decision to annul the election is a bold move, setting a precedent for how democracies can respond to digital interference.
The government has rescheduled the election, promising tighter controls and greater transparency. TikTok, for its part, collaborated with Romanian authorities, suspending accounts linked to the campaign and preserving data under the EU Digital Services Act.
However, the fallout extends beyond Romania. The incident has reignited debates about the role of social media platforms in safeguarding elections. Should platforms like TikTok bear greater responsibility for policing political content? How can governments regulate digital spaces without infringing on free speech? These are questions every democracy must grapple with.
The Larger Picture: Democracy’s Tick-Tock
The Romania-TikTok episode is not an isolated incident.
The clock of democracy, with its rhythmic tick-tock, symbolizes progress and continuity. But when external forces interfere, the clock stutters, threatening to halt its forward momentum.
Election interference is a battle of narratives, timing, and trust. Just as the child’s song warns, “It’s time for work, it’s time for play,” democracies must recognize the urgency of defending their institutions. It’s time to work—building robust cyber defenses, enforcing stricter regulations on digital platforms, and educating voters about disinformation. And it’s time to play strategically—leveraging technology to detect and counter interference while fostering international cooperation to hold bad actors accountable.
Resetting the Clock
The annulment of Romania’s election is both a setback and an opportunity. It exposes vulnerabilities but also offers a chance to reset the democratic clock. By addressing the root causes of interference and holding platforms accountable, Romania—and the world—can ensure that the ticking of democracy remains steady and true.
As the song goes, “Tick-tock, tick-tock, merrily sings the clock.” Let it be a reminder that while democracy’s clock may falter, it can always be rewound and reset, singing once more the timeless tune of the people’s will.
