Bucharest — In Romania, centrist and left-wing parties successfully countered the rise of nationalist right-wing groups in the parliamentary elections held on Sunday. While the political landscape remains tense, the focus has shifted to the outcome of a ruling by Romania’s Constitutional Court regarding the validity of the presidential vote results.
This comes after a shock first-round result in Romania’s presidential elections on November 24, where a lesser-known far-right candidate, Calin Georgescu, unexpectedly surged to the top. This raised concerns about possible external interference, given Romania’s crucial role as a staunch ally of Ukraine.
The country’s Constitutional Court had ordered a recount of the 9.46 million votes, and the electoral commission indicated that there were no major discrepancies in the results. If the court endorses the presidential election outcome, Georgescu will face Elena Lasconi, a center-right contender, in a runoff scheduled for December 8.
Authorities in Romania have accused Russia and the social media platform TikTok of influencing the election in favor of certain candidates. Both Russia and TikTok have denied the allegations.
