Romania’s constitutional court has overturned the results of the first round of the presidential election, just days before the second round was set to take place.
The decision has thrown the country into political uncertainty, as the electoral process will now be restarted entirely.
The court’s ruling follows allegations of external interference in the voting process. Declassified intelligence documents suggest the surprising victory of Calin Georgescu, a far-right NATO-skeptic, was influenced by a large-scale operation conducted from abroad.
Georgescu, who received 23% of the vote, had previously gained attention for his controversial praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The judges convened unexpectedly on Friday to deliberate on new evidence, despite initially announcing they would wait until after the second round.
The court has instructed the government to organize a fresh election, including a new electoral campaign. Under Romanian law, elections should resume on the second Sunday after an annulment.
However, the court’s decision implies a full restart of the process, delaying the vote beyond December 22.
The initial election results had sparked controversy after Georgescu’s campaign, heavily reliant on TikTok, led to accusations of preferential treatment by the platform.
A recount was ordered last week, but the court ultimately annulled the vote entirely. TikTok denied the allegations, stating all candidates were treated equally.
In the annulled vote, opposition candidate Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union came in second with 19%, while Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the governing Social Democrats finished third.
The court also dismissed claims of illegal campaign financing filed by two losing candidates.
The ruling has plunged Romania into unprecedented political uncertainty.
The government must now decide on a new timeline for elections amid growing tensions and unanswered questions about the potential influence of foreign powers.
