A video shows Traian Băsescu, the Romanian president, hitting a child in the face during a campaign rally. The clip, released only yesterday, dates back to 2004, the year of presidential elections in Romania, which Băsescu won.

Băsescu issued a statement where he denied hitting the child and claimed the footage had been manipulated. Watch the video below and judge it for yourself:

It's not an uncommon sight to see politicians trying to kiss babies during campaign rallies, just to prove how sensitive and kind-hearted they are. But hitting a child seems to be a rather difficult way to win voters' hearts