The first round of Romania’s presidential elections was declared invalid by the country’s Constitutional court, forcing a new voting procedure. This followed the declassification of intelligence data indicating that Russia tampered with the vote to support Calin Georgescu.
Georgescu, a far-right Nato-sceptic, unexpectedly won the first round with 23% of the vote, defeating opposition candidate Elena Lasconi and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Intelligence reports claim Georgescu benefited from a foreign influence operation that distorted election results, prompting the court to act.
Prime Minister Ciolacu called the annulment “the only correct solution” to safeguard democracy and counter alleged Russian interference. President Klaus Iohannis, whose term will extend until the new elections, reassured the citizens of Romania’s pro-European and NATO-alignedNATO-aligned stance.
The court’s ruling also mandates that the government reset the electoral process, including the campaign, while officials determine a new voting date. Last week, the court-mandated a recount in response to claims that TikTok favored Georgescu, who extensively used the app for his campaign.
TikTok later refuted the allegations, which described them as “categorically false.” Georgescu also denied claims that he was in line with Moscow, claiming that success prevented him from rising to power.
According to runner-up Elena Lasconi, the court’s annulment was “illegal” and “immoral,” ignoring the will of nine million voters. “Whether we like it or not, from a legal and legitimate point of view, nine million Romanian citizens, both in the country and in the diaspora, have expressed their preference for a certain candidate. We cannot ignore their will!”
Romania now faces political uncertainty as it grapples with restarting elections under intense scrutiny following the annulment. As the government prepares again for Romania’s presidential elections, experts warn that properly handling the Romanian election annulment will be critical to restoring the public’s trust in democracy.
