Romania’s top court annulled the first round of elections over alleged foreign interference, raising concerns across the European Union.
Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of presidential elections held on November 24 and ordered the entire electoral process to be repeated, deepening a political crisis in a key member of the European Union and NATO.
The ruling followed a review of new legal challenges and declassified intelligence documents indicating possible foreign interference during the campaign.
According to Romania’s Supreme Council of Defense, the country was targeted by aggressive Russian hybrid attacks, including cyber operations and coordinated disinformation efforts on social media supporting ultranationalist candidate Călin Georgescu.
The decision automatically suspended the runoff vote scheduled for Sunday, which had already begun in several countries with overseas voting. The second round was set to pit Georgescu, a Eurosceptic critic of military aid to Ukraine, against pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi.
In its statement, the court said it must ensure the integrity of the electoral process under the Constitution and argued that the seriousness of the findings required canceling the vote entirely and restarting the process with a new timetable.
Lasconi strongly condemned the ruling, calling it illegal and undemocratic. She warned that overturning the first round disregarded the will of millions of voters and risked pushing the country into instability. “Presidents are not appointed by signatures,” she said, expressing confidence she would ultimately win a fair election.
Supporters of Georgescu reacted by accusing state institutions of staging an institutional coup. Nationalist leaders argued that political elites were trying to block a candidate who had defied expectations by winning 23% of the vote after polling below 5% in pre-election surveys.
Authorities are now investigating allegations that more than 25,000 TikTok accounts promoted Georgescu’s campaign and that paid influencers violated campaign finance rules. The controversy has raised broader concerns about election security and digital manipulation.
The crisis has drawn attention from Brussels, as Romania plays a strategic role within the European Union, particularly given its long border with Ukraine and its consistent support for Kyiv since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
With more than 20% of Romanians living abroad, the diaspora vote adds another layer of complexity. Millions of Romanian citizens reside in Italy, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, making the election outcome highly sensitive beyond national borders.
Security forces increased their presence around government buildings in Bucharest as tensions rose. The annulment has left Romania in political limbo and reignited debate over democratic resilience in an era of foreign interference and online disinformation
.The Romanian case now stands as a warning for the European Union, highlighting how elections have become a central battleground in modern geopolitical conflicts.
