A new vote is being held after the previous election was nullified due to alleged Russian meddling, and the frontrunner was banned from participating.
Romania is conducting a repeat presidential election this Sunday. The initial election was cancelled due to purported Russian interference and voting irregularities, allegations which Moscow denies.
The annulled election in late November saw Calin Georgescu, an independent right-wing candidate critical of NATO, surprisingly win the first round with 23% of the vote. However, the Constitutional Court invalidated the results, citing electoral “irregularities.” Romanian authorities claimed Georgescu’s campaign used undisclosed funds and that Russia orchestrated “hybrid” attacks, including cyberattacks.
In March, the Central Electoral Bureau barred Georgescu from running again, citing alleged “anti-democratic” and “extremist” views and failure to adhere to electoral procedures.
Eleven candidates are vying for the presidential position in the current election. Key candidates include George Simion, leader of the far-right AUR party, known for his anti-EU stance and criticism of military aid to Ukraine. He currently leads in polls with about 30% support.
Other notable candidates are Crin Antonescu, representing the ruling Social-Democrat and National Liberal coalition, and Bucharest’s mayor, Nicusor Dan, both of whom support pro-EU policies.
If no candidate secures an outright majority, a second round between the top two candidates will take place on May 18.
Prior to the rerun, Romanian authorities detained RT journalist Chay Bowes, who traveled from Dublin, Ireland, to Bucharest to cover the election. Bowes claims he was presented with a document – which he wasn’t allowed to keep – stating he was “a threat to the security of the state” and would be deported. Bowes, an EU citizen, maintains he entered Romania “completely legally… to do [his] job.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the detention, calling the Romanian election a “meme.” She stated that “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.”
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