December 06, (THEWILL) – Romania’s top constitutional court has annulled the results of the first round of the country’s presidential election, ordering a complete rerun of the electoral process.
The court delivered its ruling on Friday, directing the government to set a new date and timeline for the presidential election.
“The electoral process to elect Romania’s president will be fully re-run, and the government will set a new date and calendar for the necessary steps,” the court stated.
The second round of the election, initially scheduled for Sunday, was set to be a contest between Calin Georgescu, a far-right, pro-Russian candidate, and pro-European Union centrist leader Elena Lasconi.
Georgescu’s unexpected performance in the first round of voting on November 24 raised eyebrows across the political spectrum.
Advocating for an end to Romania’s support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, Georgescu’s victory in the first round triggered concerns about foreign influence in the election process, particularly in an EU and NATO member state.
Declassified documents from Romania’s top security council on Wednesday revealed that the country was the target of “aggressive hybrid Russian attacks” during the election period.
Meanwhile, far-right parties also made significant gains in last Sunday’s parliamentary election.
However, the ruling Social Democrats emerged as the largest political group and are working to form a pro-EU coalition government.
The court did not challenge the integrity of the parliamentary election results.
Romania’s political landscape remains tense, with concerns over Russian interference and the resurgence of far-right movements threatening to destabilize the nation’s pro-EU and pro-NATO alignment.
