Romanian Constitutional Court cancels presidential election: the process will start from scratch

Romania's Supreme Court has cancelled the first round of the presidential election, which was won by the far-right pro-Russian candidate Georgescu.

According to CCR, the government is obliged to set a new voting date and start the whole cycle anew, from candidate registration to the election. This was reported on Friday by the Romanian publication Digi24.

The decision was announced at a time when voting was already underway in the diaspora for the second round of the election, where Gheorgescu and the candidate of the Save Romania Union (USR), Elena Lasconi, were competing. The CCR verdict came two days after the release of declassified documents from the country's Supreme Defence Council (CSAT).

These materials indicated that Russia conducted an operation to promote Georgescu, supporting his campaign and influencing the outcome of the vote.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced that he would issue an official statement on the matter. Former CCR judge Petre Lazeroiu clarified that the government must now issue a new decree setting the parameters for the repeat election.

The impact of the CCR decision is immediately noticeable: in the diaspora, where more than 30 thousand people have already voted, the process will be halted. The Central Election Bureau (BEC) will take steps to stop overseas voting.

A number of politicians have called for calm

Thus, former Liberal (PNL) candidate Nicolae Ciucă and AUR party leader George Simion emphasised the need for restraint. Simion first called the CCR decision a "coup d'état", but then asked supporters not to take to the streets and not to give in to provocations.

Press abroad, including the British newspaper The Guardian, reported the CCR's decision in breaking news format. The publications noted that the cancellation of the Romanian election results came amid evidence of external interference linked to Russian interests.

International attention to the incident increased after the publication of CSAT, which states: the electoral infrastructure was subjected to cyber operations and the funding of Georgescu's campaign on TikTok reached 1 million euros. This is seen as part of a hybrid action against Romania aimed at distorting democratic procedures.

The reactions of politicians are varied

Elena Lasconi said that the Romanian state had "trampled democracy" because the elections were not taken to their logical conclusion. Marcel Ciolacu, leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), called the court's decision "the only correct step" after the publication of evidence of interference. He believes it is necessary to thoroughly investigate the irregularities and find out who is responsible for attempts to externally influence the will of citizens.

Interestingly, after the announcement of the CCR decision, the Bucharest Stock Exchange showed growth: the main indices increased by more than 3%. This may reflect investors' expectations of a more transparent political process after the repeat elections.

As a result, the cancellation of the election was an unprecedented event for Romania.

A new voting date will be set by the government, after which a new electoral process will start from scratch, including registration, campaigning and voting. The authorities and law enforcement agencies are obliged to ensure maximum transparency and security in order to restore public and international observer confidence in the country's democratic institutions.