The Romanian Constitutional Court announced on Friday the annulment of the presidential election, which was scheduled for a second round on Sunday. The court cited “procedural violations of the standards for free elections under Article 146(f) of the Constitution” as the reason for its decision.
The court stated that it “annuls the entire process for electing the Romanian president” to uphold the validity and legality of the electoral procedure, and has mandated that “the entire electoral process” be restarted.
In the first round, nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu unexpectedly led the polls.
This ruling comes just two days before the second round of the presidential election, which was set to feature independent candidate Calin Georgescu against USR candidate Elena Lasconi. Voting had already commenced among the diaspora.
The decision follows four formal complaints, including one filed by candidate Cristian Terhes. The government is now responsible for establishing a new date for the elections, and the entire electoral process will be reinstated.
