Romanian court annuls first round of presidential election due to suspicions of foreign interference

Romania's top court on Friday annulled the first round of the presidential election after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence files purportedly from the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications Service and the Interior Ministry, which reported alleged Russian interference carried out through a social media campaign to promote the winner: Calin Georgescu.

Georgescu emerged the winner on Nov. 24 but was due to face Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union Party in a runoff on Sunday. Georgescu has boasted of having spent no money on his campaign, relying exclusively on the RRSS and of not having the support of any party.

This Friday, more than 900 voting centers had already been opened abroad for the second round, but they had to be suspended. A new date will now have to be set to hold the initial vote again, an unprecedented decision in the 35 years of democracy in the Balkan country, which has 19 million inhabitants.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolac considered the Constitutional Court's decision fair, echoing reports of election interference by Russia.

The annulment adds uncertainty to the social tension the country is experiencing after Georgescu won the first round against all odds, taking 22.9% of the votes. The ruling places the country in institutional chaos since, as reported by Reuters, the term of office of current President Klaus Iohannis ends on Dec. 21, and it is unclear who his successor will be after that date.