Romania’s top court annulled the result of the first round of the country’s presidential election on December 6, adding that the entire election process would have to be rerun.
The second round had been due to be held on December 8 and voting is already underway in polling stations abroad.
Romania’s political landscape has been undergoing a seismic shift as the right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians party solidifies its position as a major player. https://t.co/hDOz24Hhby
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 5, 2024
Călin Georgescu – who wants to end Romanian support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion – unexpected surged to victory on the first round of the election on November 24 raised questions over how such a surprise had been possible in a European Union and NATO member state.
Documents declassified by Romania’s top security council on December 4 said the country was a target of “aggressive hybrid Russian attacks” during the election period.
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 neccesary steps,” the court said in a statement.
The second round of the presidential contest that had been due to take place on December 8 would have pitted Georgescu, a hard right candidate, against pro-EU centrist leader Elena Lasconi.
Hard right parties also performed well in last Sunday’s parliamentary election in Romania, though the ruling Social Democrats emerged as the largest grouping and hope to cobble together a pro-EU coalition government.
The court has not called into question the integrity of the parliamentary vote.
The European Union has invoked some of its powers under the Digital Services Act amid increasing scrutiny related to the activities of TikTok during the recent elections in Romania. https://t.co/5N8kg80fsD
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 5, 2024
