Romania's Court Annuls Presidential Election Over Russian Interference, Orders Complete Rerun

Dec 6, 2024, 01:35 PM

Romania's Constitutional Court has unanimously annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election and ordered the entire electoral process to be restarted. The decision followed an emergency session where judges reviewed declassified intelligence documents suggesting a foreign manipulation campaign, notably by Russia, had interfered with the election using over 10 million fake TikTok accounts. Independent candidate Calin Georgescu, often described as pro-Russian, had emerged as the frontrunner in the initial round, securing 22.94% of the votes. As a result of the interference, the government is now required to set a new date for the presidential election, and the second round, which was scheduled for Sunday, has been canceled.