Romania cancels presidential election results after allegations of Russian interference

Romania's Constitutional Court on December 6 ruled to annul the results of the first round of the presidential election, after intelligence reports accused Russia of carrying out a campaign in support of the far-right candidate.

A Romanian court judge said he agreed with the decision to annul the entire election process to ensure “correctness and legality”. The ruling means Romania will have to hold new elections, The Guardian reported.

The latest development comes after Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on December 4 declassified intelligence documents accusing Russia of conducting an online campaign, using thousands of social media accounts to promote support for far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, who is said to have a pro-Moscow stance.

Center-right Romania Rescue Alliance party candidate Elena Lasconi votes in the November 24 presidential election

Despite his low profile and his refusal to spend money on his campaign, Georgescu led the first round of Romania’s presidential election. He was originally scheduled to face Elena Lasconi, the Romania Rescue Alliance candidate, in the second round on December 8, before the country’s courts ruled that a re-run was necessary.

“The electoral process was affected during its duration and at every stage by numerous irregularities and violations of electoral law, which distorted the free and correct nature of the vote cast by the people,” according to a statement from Romania’s constitutional court.

The outgoing prime minister welcomed the court's decision, calling it "the only correct solution." Ms Lasconi, meanwhile, condemned the ruling, saying it had undermined the fundamental democratic right to vote. The court said the government would choose a new election date and time for "the necessary steps."

Far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu

The European Commission (EC) said on December 6 that it would take measures to monitor information on the social network TikTok related to the Romanian election. In another development, Romanian prosecutors said on the same day that they had opened a criminal investigation into Mr. Georgescu related to suspicions of money laundering.

Moscow has denied any interference on social media and said it had no support for Mr Georgescu, who has called on Bucharest to halt aid to Ukraine over its conflict with Russia.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/romania-huy-ket-qua-bau-cu-tong-thong-sau-cao-buoc-nga-can-thiep-185241207095645525.htm