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Reposted by Grigore Pop-Eleches

Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦 @isadesisto.bsky.social · 3d

Check out my new piece on Moldovan 🇲🇩 elections with @grigopop.bsky.social

Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · 4d

Despite Russian meddling, Moldova’s pro-Europe party wins a majority.

Russia’s social media campaign fell short.

Read: goodauthority.org/news/despite...

Despite Russian meddling, Moldova’s pro-Europe party wins a majority

Russia’s social media campaign fell short.

goodauthority.org

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · 9d

But DA's success arguably came at the expense of the other pro-Russian parties, especially Dodon's "Blocul Patriotic" and Ceban's "Alternativa".

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · 9d

One unexpected bright spot for Russian manipulation tactics was the ability of "Democrația Acasă" to get into parliament with 5.6%. DA was endorsed by Romanian ultranationalist leader, George Simion, and its leader, Vasile Costiuc, ran on the AUR list in last year's Romanian parliamentary elections.

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · 9d

Moldovan voters have given the pro-EU PAS (of President Maia Sandu) a narrow but clear parliamentary majority, despite Russia hybrid warfare tactics. Let's hope that the planned opposition protests are not a foil for even more aggressive Russian tactics.

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · 19d

We don't need to worry about stealth authoritarianism anymore. It's pretty clearly out in the open.
www.cnbc.com/2025/09/18/t...

Trump floats pulling licenses if networks are 'against' him after Jimmy Kimmel suspended

President Donald Trump has applauded the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show over comments he made about the man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk.

www.cnbc.com

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · 20d

The authoritarian playbook in action...
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

‘Censoring you in real time’: suspension of Jimmy Kimmel show sparks shock and fears for free speech

ABC decision over Kimmel comments about Charlie Kirk killing comes hours after Trump-appointed chair of US media regulator threatened broadcaster’s license

www.theguardian.com

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · Sep 3

Yet another instance of the staggering human costs of US deportation practices.

‘I told my family, I’ll probably die’: US immigration sends Russian asylum seekers back to Moscow www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

‘I told my family, I’ll probably die’: US immigration sends Russian asylum seekers back to Moscow

Russian national who applied for asylum on political grounds describes inhumane treatment while in US custody

www.theguardian.com

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · Sep 3

In case you were curious about what Ukrainians think about Putin-style "peace" negotiations...

kim yi dionne (she/her) @dadakim.bsky.social · Aug 26

Read @grigopop.bsky.social and Graeme Robertson's analysis of recent survey data about Ukrainians' attitudes about negotiating peace with Russia:

Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · Aug 26

Ukrainians don’t think much of Putin’s ‘peace’ plan.

Our surveys from earlier this summer show overwhelming opposition to a Russian land grab.

See the data here: goodauthority.org/news/ukraini...

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · Aug 20

The insistence of Texas Republicans to have Dem reps sign agreements to be shadowed by police reminds me of a line from a novel by Marin Preda: "[the communists] aren't content to take your cow from the barn, they also make you sign that you gave it willingly".
thehill.com/homenews/sta...

thehill.com

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · Aug 19

And the prize for understatement of the day goes to ...
search.app/qHk7P

French President Emmanuel Macron says he doesn't believe Putin is 'very willing to get peace' in Ukraine

After a meeting at the White House on Monday, the French president said that if there is no progress in talks, Russia should be hit with more sanctions.

search.app

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · Aug 14

This is so depressing- and makes me so grateful for growing up biking everywhere, and for my kids having the same experience 30 years later.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · Aug 13

The number of children injured or killed by cars while walking or riding a bike has fallen steadily since the 1970s, but CDC researcher note that this decline is not because streets are safer, but because fewer kids are out and about in the first place.

Kids need freedom. Dangerous roads make it hard to grant it.

Bigger cars, distracted drivers and worried parents mean fewer kids are roaming freely.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · Aug 9

Glad to see that tax payers' money is being put to good use.
apnews.com/article/vp-v...

JD Vance went kayaking for his birthday. Secret Service had the river level raised

Vice President JD Vance’s security detail had an Ohio river’s water level raised last weekend to accommodate a kayaking trip he and his family took for his 41st birthday.

apnews.com

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 27

My 2 cents on the recent Romanian elections in ‪@goodauth.bsky.social. Romanian democracy dodged a bullet (barely) but this is no time to be complacent...

Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · May 27

Romania’s democracy is back from the brink (for now).

Nicușor Dan pulls off a decisive win after last year’s cancelled election.

Read the latest: goodauthority.org/news/romania...

Romania’s democracy is back from the brink (for now)

Nicușor Dan pulls off a decisive win after last year’s cancelled election.

goodauthority.org

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 20

And, then, of course, this genius feels the need to add his brilliant political analysis.
www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...

Musk and Sacks question Romanian election, at odds with U.S. diplomat

Elon Musk and David Sacks, both White House advisers, weighed in separately on the election in Eastern Europe.

www.nbcnews.com

Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 20

Just when we thought the circus was finally over, Simion decided to challenge the results of the elections (after he had conceded earlier). Not surprisingly, his argument echoes the rhetoric of his Russian handlers. This could get ugly. www.g4media.ro/breaking-geo...

BREAKING George Simion anunță că va cere CCR anularea alegerilor / Liderul AUR acuză guvernele R.Moldova și Franței de implicare în alegerile din România și cere audierea fondatorului Telegram / Pavel...

Candidatul extremist George Simion a anunțat, marți, într-un mesaj video transmis pe Facebook, că va cere Curții Constituționale anularea alegerilor

www.g4media.ro

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 19

Also, while this is from an online pre-electoral survey (of 1500 respondents), it seems to have captured the vote intentions quite well: below are my survey estimates (using demographic weights) vs. the official results in Romania (without the diaspora)

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 19

What is interesting is that SOS and POT voters supported Simion in lower proportions than AUR voters – so the “sovereignist” (nationalist) bloc is not very homogeneous.

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 19

Here's a graph (based on my own online survey from May9-17) showing where support in yesterday's Romanian presidential vote came from vv. the parliamentary vote from 2024. As expected, Dan dominated overwhelmingly among USR and UDMR voters, and quite clearly among PSD and PNL voters.

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 19

Forming a functional government won't be easy, and tackling the urgent reforms ahead will be even harder. But, unless they step up, today's election may have just postponed the reckoning.

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 19

the fact that a candidate as extreme and as flawed as Simion got over 46% of the vote is alarming. Let's hope Romania's political class heeds this wake-up call.

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 19

Nicușor Dan won after an incredible campaign that culminated in an unexpectedly clear reversal of the first round vote. He also won because of the remarkable mobilization of many Romanian citizens, who drove the record turnout.
But let us not get dizzy with success:

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 18

At this point Dan leads by over 800K votes, a difference that is virtually impossible to overcome with the roughly one million diaspora votes left to count. The question is whether Simion will accept defeat or whether he (and his handlers/followers) will resort to Jan 6 tactics.

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 18

And then there is the question of the diaspora, where turnout has also increased significantly.

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 18

Exit polls and turnout figures look very promising for Nicușor Dan (and prediction markets seem to agree). But lots of uncertainty remains given the gap between exit polls and results in the first wave. Meanwhile, Simion claimed victory, setting the stage for fraud claims (and possibly violence.)

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Grigore Pop-Eleches @grigopop.bsky.social · May 16

Voted in R2 of the Romanian presidential elections this morning (in an Orthodox church in Philadelphia). For those who can, please make the effort to go vote - it will be really tight, and the stakes couldn't be higher! Hai la vot!

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