Romania’s top court annuls presidential election result
CNNDec 06
Romania Annuls Presidential Vote Over Russian Interference Claims
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Above: Independent presidential candidate Călin Georgescu speaks to the media in front of his residence in Izvorani village, near Bucharest, Romania, on Nov. 26, 2024. Image copyright: Cristian Cristel/Contributor/Xinhua via Getty Images
The Facts
Romania's Constitutional Court unanimously annulled the entire presidential election on Friday, just two days before a runoff vote, amid concerns over potential foreign interference on TikTok. Police are also searching properties suspected of being connected to the alleged influence campaign.
A new electoral calendar has yet to be drafted, with local media reporting that candidates will have to register once again. Until the next president takes office, Pres. Klaus Iohannis, whose term was to end on Dec. 21, will stay on.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Given that authorities in Romania uncovered this large-scale, well-funded Russian online effort to intervene in its consequential presidential election, the Constitutional Court had no choice other than to declare the first round void and order a complete re-run. An election can only be free and fair if all candidates abide by its rules.
Establishment-critical narrative
Millions of Romanians democratically voted to elect Călin Georgescu as their next president, only to see the top court put its finger on the scale because the preferred mainstream parties failed to advance to a runoff. In contrast to what was at worst a statistically insignificant social media scheme, this judicial coup d'état is actually undermining democracy.
