Russian interference

Presidential election in Romania must be repeated

The Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu

(Bild: AFP/Octav Ganea)

The presidential election in Romania must be completely repeated. It was not free, the Constitutional Court in Bucharest ruled on Friday. Intelligence services had previously spoken of Russian interference.

The decision was made just two days before the second round of voting, in which the pro-Russian right-wing extremist Calin Georgescu was to face the pro-European bourgeois candidate Elena Lasconi. The favored social-democratic head of government Marcel Ciolacu came third. He had announced that he did not want to request a recount.

However, the Constitutional Court has now ruled that the presidential election must be completely repeated. Georgescu is being targeted by the Romanian investigative authorities after intelligence agencies suggested that he owed his election success to a Russian-controlled campaign. His propaganda was massively promoted on TikTok and Telegram in particular.

Elena Lasconi

(Bild: AFP/Daniel MIHAILESCU)

A few days ago, the Supreme Defense Council had already announced that the Kremlin was repeatedly trying to influence public opinion in Romania. However, the decisions of the Romanian Constitutional Court are also controversial, as it is close to the ruling Social Democrats from the point of view of the bourgeois parties. In the run-up to the election, it banned a far-right MEP from standing.

Lasconi: "Democracy trampled underfoot"
Lasconi criticized the court's decision. Democracy was being trampled underfoot, she said. The run-off election should have been held as planned.

The election will probably not be held again until the new year. Romania's current president Klaus Johannis made it clear on Friday evening that he would remain in office for the time being. This is legally possible. According to Johannis, he will meet with the parliamentary groups immediately so that he can then submit the application to form a government. His country is "stable and secure" and remains a "democratic and pro-European partner". His term of office was originally due to end on December 21.