Digital Duel by NewsVibe. TOP 5 parties in the Romanian online space, in the last week

COMPARATORY VISIBILITY AND IMPACT. The competitive analysis engine created by NewsVibe evaluates the strength of political actors to penetrate the online space, directly compared to their competitors.

Although PSD generates 38% of all mentions, their estimated impact is only 35%. Similarly, USR registers around 30% of mentions, but their associated impact is 28%. In comparison, PNL, with 25% of all mentions, has an estimated impact of 25%.

For AUR and SOS Romania, both the number of mentions and the estimated impact remain low. Therefore, while the PNL manages to almost entirely transform visibility into impact, the PSD and USR register a slightly unbalanced ratio between the number of mentions and the influence generated.

NewsVibe charts. Share of the number of mentions (left) and impact of mentions (right) about each of the parties, respectively, of the cumulative total of mentions about all five

NETWORK ANALYSIS. The tool created by NewsVibe - semantic network analysis - provides instant answers in an intuitive visual format that quickly highlights connections between actors, themes and concepts, without the need for complex interpretation or time-consuming data processing. Network analysis visualizes the relationships between topics, personalities and themes based on their co-occurrence in mentions collected from the most influential online sources in Romania. NewsVibe applies advanced methods of artificial intelligence and machine learning to build interaction maps that highlight: the central actors of a conversation, how they are connected to each other, the clusters of topics, concepts and influencers (personalities and organizations) that have formed around an event, topic or idea.

Grafic NewsVibe. Semantic network semantics associated with online conversation about the main 5 parliamentary parties in the last week

What does the analysis tell us about the parties?

• PSD remains, again this week, the main nucleus of online conversation. The large node and central positioning indicate a high volume of mentions and a dominant role in the semantic architecture of the network. The party is strongly connected to topics such as "Government", "Cotroceni", "Cotroceni Palace", but also to central political figures such as Marcel Ciolacu, Sorin Grindeanu or Mihai Fifor. Their presence signals both involvement in the negotiations and perceived responsibility for the future government formula, as well as widespread accountability in online conversations about the deficit facing Romania.
• PNL emerges as a well-connected party at the center of the negotiations, with direct links to PSD, USR and UDMR. The figure of Ilie Bolojan is well represented in the network, and the Facebook cluster attached to PNL, USR and AUR reflects the public messages transmitted by the party leaders on these social networks. This sub-cluster, although external to the governmental sphere, indicates the capacity of these parties to mobilize digitally in the context of symbolic moments.
• USR is visible through a dense and well-defined cluster, formed around leaders such as Dominic Fritz and Cristian Ghinea, but also through geographical and institutional references - "Timișoara" (where Dominic Fritz is mayor), "Parliament". Its presence close to the PNL and UDMR signals an active involvement in government scenarios, without being fully integrated into the core of power, like PSD. The USR network indicates a clear identity, with distinct thematic positioning in the right-wing political space.
• UDMR has a role of discrete, but important, connection, being the only party that appears connected simultaneously to PSD, PNL and USR. Although its node is small, this positioning reflects its status as a potential balancing partner in the ongoing negotiations. The presence of Kelemen Hunor in close proximity to governmental issues reinforces this hypothesis.
• AUR remains placed in a marginal cluster, thematically isolated from the center of the network. The conversations around it are dominated by the figure of George Simion and calls for protests. The network does not indicate links to government themes, but a discourse centered on opposition and anti-system rhetoric. This type of positioning is constant for AUR and confirms the lack of involvement in government negotiations.

SENTENCE. The NewsVibe platform has created an advanced sentiment analysis system that uses artificial intelligence, specially trained algorithms, and LLM-like language models to detect nuances of tone - favorable, unfavorable, or neutral - in the context of references to entities relevant to an online conversation.

Grafic NewsVibe. Automated online conversation tone ratings of the top 5 parliamentary parties by week

What does the analysis tell us about parties and leaders?

• PSD visibly dominates the conversation map, but also the area of emphasized negative tone. The party frequently appears in discussions with a tense or critical character, as a result of its central role in the formation of the government and its direct responsibility for the new fiscal measures, but also for the current economic situation. Terms such as "Ciolacu", "Ciolacu Government", "Sorin Grindeanu", "Laura Vicol", "Nordis" are anchored in debates marked by discontent, attacks and polarization.
• PNL is also placed in conversations with tense tones, generated by its direct involvement in the negotiations, but also by high expectations on its contribution to deficit reduction. The mention in economic and governmental contexts is not accompanied by as much polarization as in the case of the PSD, but the character of the conversations is still predominantly unfavorable.
• USR is actively involved in the tense conversations, but stands out for a more balanced weighting of tone. Actors such as Dominic Fritz, Cristian Ghinea, or terms such as "Tim Tim" and "USR" frequently appear in intense but nuanced political debates that are not dominated by hostility. The proportion of green around the USR indicates that the discussions in which it is involved have a relevant component of support, interest or favorable evaluation of the positions expressed, even if the topics are controversial.
• AUR, on the other hand, appears in a clearly defined space of conversations with a mostly negative tone. The name of George Simion, as well as references to "Russia", "Putin" or "challenging legitimacy" are constants of a discourse in which conflict and aggressive rhetoric predominate. The party is mentioned in contexts dominated by criticism, rejection or alarmism, without significant areas of positive tone.
• UDMR maintains a secondary register, with a low presence in conversations marked by intense tone. Its appearances in the network are generally linked to political negotiations, but without generating emotionally charged debates. The tone of conversations is therefore moderate and not very tense.

What does the analysis tell us about leaders?

• Ilie Bolojan is one of the few political leaders associated with a significant number of conversations with a favorable tone. His presence is linked to the themes of reform and fiscal discipline, but the context in which his name is mentioned reflects confidence and appreciation, despite the difficult situation.
• Dominic Fritz appears in tense conversations related to the future government and USR's positioning, but the frequency of favorable tone is notable, with his election to head USR contributing to the positive media context. This indicates a more open reception from digital audiences, even in complicated contexts.
• Nicușor Dan has a mixed profile: he appears in both favorable and tense conversations, especially in relation to political consultations and his involvement in discussions about the future government formula and future fiscal measures, already perceived as austerity.

*****Syndicated via a monitoring feed provided by NewsVibe Romania. The analysis, data and images presented were enhanced with Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence tools.