Romania’s Constitutional Court Annuls Presidential Election Process; Restarting The Vote

The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) has annulled the entire electoral process of the presidential elections, despite the second round of voting already being underway in the diaspora. The decision, announced on Friday, comes just two days before the showdown between independent candidate Calin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi, leader of the Save Romania Union, which was set to take place in the second round.

Background Of The Election Results

The ruling follows the announcement of the results from the first round of voting by Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau, where Georgescu secured the lead with 2,120,401 votes (22.94%), followed closely by Lasconi with 19.18%, and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu from the Social Democratic Party at 19.15%. Despite the near-completion of the election process, the court’s ruling has reset the entire electoral timeline.

Annulment Triggered By Complaints And Controversies

The decision to annul the election came after complaints from various institutions, including from Cristian Terhes, candidate of the Romanian National Conservative Party.

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Terhes, who secured 95,782 votes (1.04%), had previously petitioned the CCR to annul the results of the first round, which the court rejected earlier in the week. Nonetheless, the court’s ruling mandates the government to set a new election date and timetable, effectively restarting the entire electoral process.

Criminal Investigation Launched Over Cybercrimes

In a related development, Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) has launched a criminal investigation into alleged cybercrimes linked to Georgescu’s presidential campaign. The probe, which follows declassified intelligence from Romania’s Supreme Council for National Defence, examines possible interference with Georgescu’s campaign, which reportedly received 1 million euros in funding for its TikTok efforts.

Reactions From Political Candidates

The annulment has sparked differing reactions from the candidates involved. Lasconi criticized the decision, calling it a blow to democracy. She argued that the electoral process should have continued as planned and expressed confidence in her victory in the runoff. In contrast, Ciolacu, the Prime Minister and another candidate, supported the court’s decision, calling it “the only correct solution.” He emphasized the need for investigations to identify the perpetrators of electoral interference and reaffirmed Romania’s commitment to its pro-European development path.

As the political situation in Romania remains fluid, all eyes are now on the restructured electoral process, with the court’s ruling set to reshape the path to the presidency.