TikTok took down several networks that tried to meddle in Romania's elections, executives said Tuesday as they defended the company's election integrity measures to European Union lawmakers. The video-sharing platform is a focus of controversy in the Eastern European country after far-right outsider Calin Georgescu

A largely unknown right-wing extremist won the first round of Romania's presidential election and could be elected president on Sunday — with the help of TikTok. Are elections now being decided on social media?

TikTok executives said the social media platform removed a network covertly campaigning for Calin Georgescu, whose shock victory in the Nov. 24 presidential election threw the country into the biggest political crisis since the fall of communism.

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.

A far-right independent candidate called Călin Georgescu is leading the race to become Romanias next president. He took a shock lead in the first round of voting by securing 22.9% of the vote, followed by

Barely known a year ago, far-right candidate Calin Georgescu successfully dominated social network TikTok to emerge the shock winner of Romania's first-round presidential election -- an online campaign that has raised suspicions.

TikTok says it engaged with Romanian authorities ahead of the election, and follows the EU's online platform rules. View on euronews