Romania's Supreme Court on Friday annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election, days after Romania's security documents were declassified alleging Russian interference in favor of a far-right outsider candidate. , called for re-election.
The Constitutional Court issued a unanimous decision invalidating the entire electoral process for the presidential election held late last month, accusing the government of specifying a new election date.
The court said in a statement that the decision is final and generally binding, and that the run-off elections scheduled for Sunday will be canceled.
The unprecedented action by the Constitutional Court comes in response to a series of intelligence reports that attributed the shocking success of relatively unknown candidate Karin Georgescu in part to a Russian operation exploiting social media. This comes in response to widespread alarm among the United States, its NATO allies, and European Union member states. , paid influencers and conducted cyberattacks to influence election results.
The Biden administration and members of Congress had expressed concern about the Romanian intelligence findings.
According to reports, Georgescu, who had declared no campaign funds, rose from obscurity to win the first round of the presidential vote on November 24. He was scheduled to face second place, reformist Elena Lasconi of the Salvation Romanian Unity Party. .
Georgescu argued that, he is not pro-Russianhas in the past called Russian President Vladimir Putin a patriot of his homeland, expressed skepticism about NATO and called Ukraine a fabricated nation.
Romania, a NATO ally that borders Ukraine and the Black Sea, is a key supporter of Kiev in its nearly three-year defensive war against a full-scale Russian invasion. romanian host thousands of US soldiers An air force base on the Black Sea in the southeast of the country. There are plans to develop It is the largest NATO base in Europe.
