After the annulment of the presidential elections by the Constitutional Court, Facebook was flooded with numerous religious and conservative pages boasting hundreds of thousands of followers, promoting communist nostalgia. Most of these pages have multiple administrators from Romania and across the globe. Conspiracy theories blended with an idealized view of life under communism align perfectly with the electoral profile of Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian candidate who seemingly emerged from nowhere. He came first in the November 24 presidential elections, which were later annulled by the Romanian Constitutional Court due to allegations of voter influence by a foreign nation.
These pages act as hubs of disinformation, utilizing AI-generated photos that garner thousands of reactions and cascading shares, reaching millions of users. Occasionally, advertisements for Călin Georgescu—an ultra-nationalist candidate—appear on these pages. Predictions suggest that these pages will change their names to „Support” or „Vote for Călin Georgescu” just days before the elections, as happened prior to November 24, when thousands of TikTok videos featuring Georgescu were distributed.
Example: The Page „Natalia”
One such page, Natalia, was created in June 2023. In a short time, it amassed 535,400 followers and is managed from Romania and Germany.
From December 15, 2024, four advertisements were paid for, each running for 15 hours. One post featuring a Romanian hand-woven carpet reached 13,747 accounts across the European Union. The call-to-action was: „If you’ve owned one too, click here.” Nearly 6,000 Romanian users over the age of 65 appreciated the post.
Another paid ad, which stayed atop the page for 22 hours, featured the monk Arsenie Boca with the message: „In an hour, God will grant you great luck. All your pain will end today. Your Amen will be effective.” This ad reached 19,000 accounts.
A third advertisement paid for by Natalia featured a photo of a child leading a cow to graze. This image was viewed by 163,000 Facebook accounts.
The Natalia Facebook page also links to a website registered by an individual on August 26, 2023. The domain was purchased for two years, and out of eight news articles on the site, six promote Călin Georgescu.
Returning to the Natalia page, alongside posts of religious icons, motivational quotes, recipes, or photos of adorable children, the candidate Călin Georgescu and his wife are prominently featured.
Each post gathers hundreds of reactions. For example, a photo of a model advertising a skirt, repurposed on the Natalia page to claim she is celebrating her 53rd birthday without receiving any well-wishes, garnered 1,160 birthday messages and 2,300 likes in just three hours.
Using Google Lens, the photo was traced back to a fashion page, from which the image of the „birthday celebrant” was copied.
Another AI-generated image of a horse made from hundreds of onions, accompanied by a child claiming it was created „out of passion” but went unappreciated, amassed 15,000 likes, 2,140 comments, and 867 shares in just seven days.
Through such viral posts, the page ensures prolonged visibility on users’ Facebook feeds, resulting in news and photos about Călin Georgescu being seen by hundreds of thousands of users.
Another page, Mărturisim Ortodoxia, was created on October 16, 2023, and is managed by administrators from Spain, Greece, Indonesia, Finland, Italy, Romania, and Switzerland.
Powerful Prayers from Spain
A Facebook page links to a private WhatsApp group named Powerful Prayers. The contact information provided is a Spanish phone number, and the listed address is written in Chinese. These WhatsApp groups serve as a key vehicle for spreading conspiracy theories and anonymous political messages, shared among group members or directly to users’ contact lists.
On October 8, 2023, the Facebook page Tradițional Românesc was created. It has garnered 228,000 likes and 240,000 followers and is administered from Romania.
In Romania, an AI-generated photo of a girl presented as an airplane pilot went viral.
The caption accompanying the photo reads: „I love my country and my people… An emblem of Romanian beauty, a swan of Romanian aviation!” The post received 5,100 reactions, was shared 341 times, and garnered over 800 comments. The issue? In the AI-generated photo, the so-called pilot has six fingers on one hand.
Another photo of smiling girls harvesting potatoes in a field received 749 likes. Three of the five girls in the image, also AI-generated, have only four fingers on each hand.
A supposed sand sculpture, claimed to have taken much effort but not enough recognition, gathered 66,000 reactions, nearly 5,000 comments, and was shared 1,800 times.
Profile of Users Engaging with Such Content
Who are the people commenting on or sharing these photos? They are generally older individuals with few friends and limited profile pictures. Next in line are users from isolated rural areas in the country, though they have access to the internet.
How to Create a Specific Candidate Profile
The Facebook account „Viatasisanatate.com” has 270,000 followers. It also has an associated website: viatasisanatate.com, with main sections: „Prayers and Hymns,” „Health, Remedies, and Cures,” „Life & Nature,” „Mysteries & Spirituality,” „Culinary Recipes,” and „Science and Technology.” It covers a broad range of interests specific to a certain personality type: one concerned with religion and natural remedies.
„Here you will find remedies and cures from our ancestors, useful information, and advice to improve your health and prevent or treat various ailments.” For example, it suggests that pork lard, „just like grandma used to make,” is healthier than refined oils, along with a recipe for a „folk cure” for kidney cleansing.
From the same site, it states:
„There are no accidents or coincidences; synchronicity happens for a reason. Everything is part of the Divine Plan!” The post received nearly 8,500 shares on Facebook. Readers are encouraged with statements such as: „The people and events that appear at certain times are simply synchronicity, part of the divine plan.” The article also claims that creating synchronicity is simple: „You don’t need to work hard to make things happen. Believe in them with all your heart, and they will occur. There’s no need to force, rush, or struggle—the Universe will provide.”
In another post concerning the harmfulness of certain medications and vaccines („Dangerous Medicines: The List Nobody Talks About, Though It Endangers Patients’ Lives”), it claims:
„Romania is like a lawless village, a playground for hundreds of drug manufacturers, doctors, and pharmacists to toy with the lives of ‘the masses.'”
Among the medications listed are Algocalmin, Aulin, Piafen, and Paracetamol. The article goes further to state: „Now you may better understand why Codex Alimentarius aligns with the global pharmaceutical industry! Perhaps now you see why the billionaires of America and Europe—these forces of wealth and evil—want to replace garlic, mint, and linden tea with pharmaceutical products!”
The post was shared over 6,500 times on Facebook.
In another section („Mysteries & Spirituality”), you can find posts about „grandmother’s healing spells” or how „cancer disappeared during the Holy Liturgy.”
Sovereignist Propaganda
In this context, alongside the dissemination of articles from the website, posts and „sovereignist” ideas are subtly introduced on the Facebook page. For instance, a video sourced from a TikTok account featuring former PRM politician Corneliu Vadim Tudor is included. The title reads „Romania will rise again,” while the highlighted quote states, „Let us not negotiate on our knees.” „We will stand tall, not on our knees,” is also a statement made by the presidential candidate Călin Georgescu in an online interview with the publication „Gândul,” hosted by Marius Tucă. The Facebook post featuring Vadim Tudor has gathered 286 shares, and the comments immediately establish a „connection” between Vadim and Georgescu. „If we come out in large numbers to vote for CG, maybe he’ll win,” one comment suggests.
„We will rise from the ashes,” and „Many thought he was crazy, just like they think of Călin Georgescu,” other users comment. The „revelation” is that Vadim „was right,” the country has descended into chaos, and the providential man who reiterates Vadim’s prophetic warnings (Călin Georgescu) should not be missed. On the other hand, the mentioned Facebook page periodically reposts the „prophecy” of an „Indian saint” who supposedly predicted: „A man will RISE to halt Romania’s decline and transform the country into one of the most powerful nations in the world.” Each time, these posts gather hundreds and even thousands of shares.
In the „reels” section, there are several clips combining tradition and religion. From flatbreads cooked on a grandmother’s hotplate to wild horses running through a field of red poppies—images linked to God and the notion of freedom. Then, there are breathtaking views from Bâlea Lake, the Transfăgărășan, and the Iron Gates, accompanied by a professionally recorded voiceover saying: „God watches over you, bringing hope where it seems there is none”, „Even when you feel that no one understands you, know that God is by your side, ready to give you the strength to overcome any obstacle”, „God has a wonderful plan for you, a plan filled with PEACE, joy, and hope. Even when you don’t understand what is happening, trust that God is working in your favor.”
Call to God
The final clip features the Bucegi Mountains. In the background, only birdsong is heard. The caption states: „The Bucegi Mountains, Romania. A fairytale.” Bread, water, and energy (symbolized by the Iron Gates) form part of the „national project” promoted by Călin Georgescu, titled „Food, Water, Energy.” Furthermore, the wild horses in the poppy field often reappear in Georgescu’s speeches and visuals. In some photos, Georgescu is seen on horseback, riding a white steed while dressed in traditional Romanian clothing. During campaign speeches, he discusses how the country could be economically revived by investing in „the horse industry.” Notably, his famous meeting with mercenary Potra and legionnaire Sechila took place at a horse farm in Ciolpani. The horse and the poppy hold multiple meanings in religion, mythology, and Romanian „magical” thought.
The page was created in January 2015 and has only one administrator, based in Romania, as per the displayed information.
There is no evidence that the page runs advertisements, leaving the reasons for its significant audience growth unclear.
Salvation with a Single Click. Amen!
Another interesting Facebook page is called „The Word of God.” It has 108,000 followers, and the address is listed as „Romania” — but written in Chinese. Under „known languages,” Romanian is listed, but written in Chinese characters. Under „studies,” it states „ICR Beijing” — and the link takes you to the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) page — a public institution under the authority of the Romanian Senate. The owner of the page has written that they are from Ploiești and currently live in Iași. The page was created in August 2022 and does not run ads. However, the „reels” section is full of religious videos in which users are asked to react so the priest can pray „for free” for them. Specifically, you need to touch the image and type „Amen.”
Besides the free prayer, the virtual priest helps you „get rid of your sad and painful life.” In practice, the prayer or miracle-working icon from the past has gone digital! One click, and you’re free from troubles or saved. Although the voice speaks Romanian, it has a strange, foreign accent.
Another clip shows Jesus carrying the cross on the road to Golgotha. In the background, a female voice says: „Jesus died for us, and now we live for Him. Take a moment to write THANK YOU, JESUS! Otherwise, you will regret it!”
Another video shows a helicopter carrying a massive icon of the Virgin Mary through the mountains, tied by ropes. The voice says: „Anyone who touches the Blessed Virgin Mary today and leaves an AMEN — any curse upon you and your family will be broken in the name of Jesus. Your AMEN will be effective.”
The clip has nearly 4,000 likes, over 5,000 comments, and almost 1,000 shares. To receive „the best news of your life,” all you need to do is tap the dove in the clip and type AMEN.
WhatsApp Prayer Channels
These unbelievable clips seem to perform a real neuro-programming of the users. The photos on the page are „cards” with prayers and religious symbols. There is no website attached as a link, but a FB Messenger chat through which you can send elements from the page to your contacts. From the page, there are links to about 8 WhatsApp channels — where you can „peacefully” read a prayer, after which you must type AMEN. It seems like a true collector of contacts for future messages.
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS), 88.6% of households in Romania have access to the internet at home, an increase of 2.9 percentage points compared to 2023. The proportion of people aged 16-74 who have ever used the internet was 94.7%, which is 2.2 percentage points higher than the previous year.
