Simona Carlugea is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Romanian Service.
A mysterious programmer with a reputation for a lavish lifestyle has emerged as a central figure in the claims that far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu benefited from secretive influence campaigns, including from Russia.
Calin Georgescu, the little-known far-right politician, used TikTok to spread his anti-EU, anti-NATO message and win the first round of Romania's presidential election.
Bucharest says around 260 Romanians or their family members are pleading for evacuation from Gaza as Israeli bombardments continue and a humanitarian catastrophe unfolds more than two weeks after Hamas's attack on Israeli civilians.
More than 100,000 Romanian public-school teachers went on strike on May 22, citing stagnant wages and crumbling facilities. Parents and students worry they will be affected by indefinite school shutdowns but many say they sympathize on the wage issue.
