The recent presidential elections have had a significant impact on the visibility of political actors analyzed in this report. The first round of elections marked a pivotal moment, leading to a noteworthy increase in mentions for major political parties across key online sources.
Utilizing NewsVibe, an advanced media intelligence tool powered by AI, we observed clear growth in the number of mentions for each political party compared to the previous week. Notably, the most notable increases were seen for the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), and the National Liberal Party (PNL).
This rise primarily benefited parties that backed candidates involved in the elections. In contrast, the Moderate increase in mentions for the Union Save Romania (USR) suggested that while Nicușor Dan’s advancement in the presidential race garnered some attention—backed by USR—its overall effect paled in comparison to that of PSD, AUR, and PNL. A significant factor in this disparity was that many mentions concerning Nicușor Dan related to his status as an independent candidate, often neglecting the political support from his party.
Top 5 Parties by Online Visibility
- Social Democratic Party (PSD): 4,854 mentions
- Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR): 3,963 mentions
- National Liberal Party (PNL): 3,502 mentions
- Union Save Romania (USR): 2,255 mentions
- SOS Romania: 170 mentions
(Note: Only relevant mentions from validated online sources and social media were included in the top rankings.)
The trajectory of mentions over the past week clearly indicated that the presidential election was the main catalyst for political visibility. Interestingly, the day with the highest number of mentions was not the voting day itself but rather the following day. This can be attributed to online discussions analyzing the election results, the implications for the second round, and strategic decisions made by parties in light of these outcomes.
On May 5, key announcements were made: Marcel Ciolacu, the PSD leader, declared his withdrawal from the prime ministerial role and confirmed that the party would not officially support any candidate in the runoff. The PNL officially endorsed Nicușor Dan, while USR reiterated its support for the current mayor of the capital. Additionally, Elena Lasconi announced her resignation as president of USR.
By the end of this analysis period, AUR’s mentions surged ahead of others, particularly since George Simion was the only candidate affiliated with a party in the presidential final.
The comparative online visibility analysis demonstrated that the elections significantly influenced party mentions. PSD accounted for the highest percentage of total mentions (33%), followed by AUR (27%), PNL (24%), and USR (15%). Conversely, mentions for SOS Romania dwindled to apenas 1%.
Yet, when considering the estimated impact of these mentions—defined by the potential audience reach—AUR emerged as the leader (29%), followed closely by PSD (27%), while PNL and USR had nearly equal estimated impacts (21% and 20%, respectively).
The impact analysis revealed some intriguing differences. For example, on May 2, a notable rise in USR mentions followed Elena Lasconi’s release of photos purportedly showing a meeting of presidential candidates with a former intelligence chief.
Even after the peak on May 5, the levels of mentions regarding major parties remained high. AUR increasingly became the most mentioned party in recent days, showcasing its rise in online discussions.
In summary, the dynamics of visibility and impact among Romanian political parties shifted notably due to the first round of the presidential elections, with AUR and PSD emerging as dominant players in public discourse. This analysis was supported by a continuous monitoring stream provided by NewsVibe, utilizing Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to enhance data interpretation.
