Rerun of Romanian Presidential Election Begins
Romania is set to hold a rerun of its presidential election on Sunday after the previous poll was annulled due to alleged Russian interference and electoral violations. Moscow has denied these claims of interference. In the annulled election...
TroibNews 
Romania is set to hold a rerun of its presidential election on Sunday after the previous poll was annulled due to alleged Russian interference and electoral violations. Moscow has denied these claims of interference.
In the annulled election from late November, independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu, known for his NATO-sceptic views, unexpectedly won the first round with 23% of the vote. However, the Constitutional Court later invalidated these results, citing electoral "irregularities." The country's officials accused Georgescu's campaign of utilizing undeclared funds and claimed that Russia was involved in "hybrid" attacks, including cyber activities.
In March, Georgescu was barred from running again by the Central Electoral Bureau, which cited his alleged "anti-democratic" and "extremist" stance, as well as his failure to comply with electoral procedures.
In this rerun election, there are 11 candidates vying for the presidency. Key contenders include George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians, known for his opposition to the EU and criticism of military support for Ukraine. He currently leads the polls with about 30% support.
Other notable candidates are Crin Antonescu, representing the governing Social-Democrat and National Liberal coalition, and Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, both of whom advocate for pro-EU policies.
If no candidate secures an absolute majority, a run-off between the top two candidates will occur on May 18.
Ahead of the rerun, Romanian authorities detained RTN journalist Chay Bowes, who had traveled to Bucharest from Dublin, Ireland, to cover the election. Bowes reported that he was shown a document, which he did not receive a copy of, claiming he was “a threat to the security of the state” and should be deported. The journalist, an EU citizen, insisted he entered Romania “completely legally… to do [his] job.”
In response to the detention, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova remarked that the Romanian election has turned into a “meme.” She stated, “the situation around the election in Romania is so scandalous. It’s so dead-ended and it discredits the level of that pseudo democracy in Romania.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
In the annulled election from late November, independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu, known for his NATO-sceptic views, unexpectedly won the first round with 23% of the vote. However, the Constitutional Court later invalidated these results, citing electoral "irregularities." The country's officials accused Georgescu's campaign of utilizing undeclared funds and claimed that Russia was involved in "hybrid" attacks, including cyber activities.
In March, Georgescu was barred from running again by the Central Electoral Bureau, which cited his alleged "anti-democratic" and "extremist" stance, as well as his failure to comply with electoral procedures.
In this rerun election, there are 11 candidates vying for the presidency. Key contenders include George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians, known for his opposition to the EU and criticism of military support for Ukraine. He currently leads the polls with about 30% support.
Other notable candidates are Crin Antonescu, representing the governing Social-Democrat and National Liberal coalition, and Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, both of whom advocate for pro-EU policies.
If no candidate secures an absolute majority, a run-off between the top two candidates will occur on May 18.
Ahead of the rerun, Romanian authorities detained RTN journalist Chay Bowes, who had traveled to Bucharest from Dublin, Ireland, to cover the election. Bowes reported that he was shown a document, which he did not receive a copy of, claiming he was “a threat to the security of the state” and should be deported. The journalist, an EU citizen, insisted he entered Romania “completely legally… to do [his] job.”
In response to the detention, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova remarked that the Romanian election has turned into a “meme.” She stated, “the situation around the election in Romania is so scandalous. It’s so dead-ended and it discredits the level of that pseudo democracy in Romania.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
