Mircea Geoana, candidate for president of Romania and former Romanian ambassador to the United States, has accused his rival, incumbent Traian Basescu, of employing a parapsychologist who directed a “negative energy attack” against Geoana. Geoana narrowly lost a runoff to Basescu in early December. Shortly after the election, he went public with his claim that he lost the race because the energy attack caused him to perform poorly during a debate just before the runoff. Many Romanians dismissed Geoana’s assertion—until photos surfaced showing the parapsychologist, Aliodor Manolea, in Basescu’s entourage just prior to the debate. Others have accused Geoana himself of using Manolea and his powers during the 2007 election for the European Parliament.