The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Romanian constitutional court annuls results of presidential election's first round

by Kateryna Hodunova and The Kyiv Independent news desk December 6, 2024 5:17 PM 2 min read
Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu speaks to the media after voting at a polling station during the Romanian parliamentary elections near Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 1, 2024. (Andrei Pungovschi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election, which had been led by anti-NATO, pro-Russian independent candidate Calin Georgescu, Digi24 reported on Dec. 6.

Georgescu emerged as the frontrunner after the Nov. 24 vote, securing 23% of the ballots. Pro-EU candidate Elena Lasconi came in second with 19%.

Georgescu, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and Romania's pro-Nazi World War II-era leader Ion Antonescu, had been expected to face Lasconi in the Dec. 8 runoff. However, the government must now schedule a new election date.

The Constitutional Court judges overturned the results after reviewing newly declassified documents from the Romanian Supreme National Defense Council. According to the documents, Georgescu's campaign was "the result of organized manipulation from abroad."

The records reportedly revealed an "artificial increase" in Georgescu's popularity from 1% to 22% through a large-scale manipulation effort shortly before the election, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

Nearly 25,000 TikTok accounts, allegedly used to boost Georgescu's visibility, "became very active two weeks before the election date." Before Nov. 11, about 800 of these accounts showed minimal activity, but "the entire network was activated at full capacity" shortly thereafter, the documents stated.

The pro-Russian candidate's campaign also involved recruiting influencers on TikTok and creating accounts that falsely reported on Romanian state institutions’ activities.

The current Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, who did not make it to the second round, called the decision of the Romanian Constitutional Court "the only possible way out" in light of unveiling the records. Ciolacu came in third in the initial round, behind Lasconi by 0.03%, equivalent to 2,742 votes.

Lasconi criticized the court's decision, equating it with "interference in democracy."

This week, Georgescu announced that if elected, he would ban Ukrainian grain exports through Romania and halt further military aid to Ukraine.

While Georgescu's voters may not be "profoundly anti-Ukraine," they "voted for an anti-Ukraine candidate because the (political) establishment is pro-Ukraine," said Razvan Petri, a colleague of Adrian Adamescu at Politica La Minut.

If Georgescu takes office, he would join a small but growing group of Ukraine-skeptical leaders within NATO and the EU, including Hungary's Viktor Orban and Slovakia's Robert Fico.

Russia-friendly candidates surge in Romania’s elections, a worrying signal for Ukraine
Romania’s presidential and parliamentary elections saw a strong showing for far-right politicians critical of military support for Ukraine. Anti-NATO and Russia-admiring independent candidate Calin Georgescu came in first during the initial round of the presidential vote on Nov. 24, with nearly 23%…

News Feed

6:54 PM

Mariupol defender appointed commander of Azov Brigade amid military reform.

Following the start of Russia's full-scale war in 2022, Hrishenkov defended Mariupol, where he was injured. After 86 days of defending the encircled city under heavy Russian bombardment, he and about 2,500 other fighters left the Azovstal steel plant after Ukrainian commanders ordered the defending garrison to lay down their arms.
6:21 PM

4 days of hunting Russian drones.

The Kyiv Independent contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent four days following an air defense unit guarding the skies over a region in eastern Ukraine, seeing how they live, work, and save civilians from the dozens of Russian drones flying toward Ukrainian cities each night.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.