Interim chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Sorin Grindeanu on Wednesday said that the „Russian interference” in Romania’s presidential elections is „documented,” adding that the country’s institutions „are doing their job and will present evidence before the judges,” and that the fight to defend democracy did not end with the referral of the case to court.
„The Kremlin spokesperson’s response to the case investigated by the General Prosecutor’s Office is in the same vein of manipulation and denial of clear evidence regarding Russia’s involvement in attempts to influence the outcome of elections in Romania. Repeated denial does not change the reality documented in official reports and criminal investigation files. Russian interference is documented; in Romania, institutions are doing their job and will present the evidence before the courts. This is, in fact, clear proof that the fight to protect democracy did not end yesterday with the referral of the case to trial,” Grindeanu wrote on Facebook.
He added that state institutions – some visible, others less so – had worked together to uncover a complex mechanism of hybrid warfare, built with Russian support and aimed directly at destabilising society and influencing the elections.
„Romania was the main target of massive hybrid campaigns intended not only to influence the presidential elections in November 2024 but also to destabilise public order and the functioning of state institutions more broadly. And there are more elections to come. That means the threat has not disappeared. This is, in fact, a textbook case, an example of institutional coordination and response from which many European states will have lessons to learn. Romania must continue to demonstrate through concrete action that it has the democratic antibodies required and must send a clear message that it has nothing to learn from so-called Russian wisdom’. Democracy in Romania is not passive: it defends itself, adapts and responds firmly when attacked,” the PSD leader stressed.
AGERPRES
