Manufacturing Crisis: Populism, Sovereignism, and the Digital Politics of Insecurity in Romania’s 2024 Presidential Elections

Abstract

This dissertation investigates how populist actors weaponise insecurity to legitimise sovereignist claims, with particular attention to the co-productive role of digital audiences in this process. Focusing on Călin Georgescu’s 2024 Romanian presidential campaign, the study explores how crisis narratives are not solely elite-driven but emerge through iterative, emotionally charged exchanges within networked media environments. Anchored in the premise that crisis is not external to populism but integral to its logic, the research traces how Georgescu reframed the electoral contest as a moment of national reckoning, mobilising discourses of betrayal, urgency, and dispossession. The analysis shows that Georgescu’s campaign enacted a populist logic of antagonism, positioning “the people” against a corrupt elite and presenting sovereignty as the only viable remedy. This securitising narrative extended beyond the campaign, intensifying in the post-election period through participatory dynamics on platforms like TikTok and Facebook. Audiences not only amplified Georgescu’s messaging but became active co-constructors of insecurity. The study identifies three key findings: the emotional and algorithmic traction of sovereignist discourse; the transformative role of digital media in escalating perceived threats; and the iterative, bottom-up character of contemporary securitisation.