Romania’s Constitutional Court has ordered a recount of the first-round votes in the country’s presidential elections, where the far-right candidate unexpectedly emerged victorious.
In a statement on November 28, the court announced it had “unanimously ordered the review and recount of the votes from the November 24 presidential elections.”
The Bucharest court stated that its decision is final. The Central Electoral Commission is set to meet later in the day to discuss the court’s ruling.
Calin Georgescu, an independent, pro-Russian far-right candidate, delivered a surprising performance in the first round, securing nearly 23% of the votes.
Georgescu is expected to face Elena Lasconi, a center-right candidate and strong supporter of Euro-Atlantic integration, in the December 8 runoff. Both outperformed the leftist Prime Minister and frontrunner, Marcel Ciolacu.
Without backing from any political party, Georgescu’s campaign was primarily driven by TikTok, where his account garnered 1.6 million likes.
In addition to sharing his political views, Georgescu used TikTok to post videos of himself attending church, practicing judo, and running on tracks.
The Romanian president holds significant decision-making powers, including on national security and foreign policy matters.
Elected for a five-year term, the president also has the authority to reject party nominations for prime minister and government appointments to judicial positions.
