Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the first round of the presidential election on Friday, following allegations that Russia orchestrated a large-scale online campaign to support far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, AP News reports.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence suggesting a vast coordinated effort by Russia involving thousands of social media accounts on platforms like TikTok and Telegram to promote Georgescu. Georgescu, despite having no campaign funding, became the frontrunner in the first round held on November 24.
Georgescu was set to face reformist Elena Lasconi from the Save Romania Union party in a runoff on Sunday, but the annulment means a new date will be set for the first round. The court’s ruling comes amid a turbulent election cycle that follows earlier controversies, including a court-ordered recount of votes.
