Romanian court overturns presidential elections amid interference claims
Călin Georgescu may not appear on the list of future presidential candidates for Romania in elections that are expected to be rescheduled for the spring of 2025.
Romanian political analyst Andrei Țăranu explained to Euronews that this outcome is "practically impossible," as the candidate has an "unusual electoral history" and may employ the same campaign strategies when his campaign begins in January.
“If the documents that the power institutions will present, under confidentiality, are proven, it is hard to believe he will be allowed to run after such an unusual electoral history. Theoretically, he could run at this stage, but in practice, it will be up to the state institutions to prove that he is an honest candidate and can enter the electoral race,” said the Romanian political scientist.
The analyst maintained that the decision of Romania’s Constitutional Court was correct and was necessitated by the seriousness of the situation. Țăranu emphasized that the authorities owe Romanians an explanation.
“Romania’s power institutions should have disclosed these documents or at least submitted them to the Constitutional Court beforehand. This raises some questions about the functioning of Romania’s intelligence services. Each institution holds information that could have been synthesized if combined. I believe that once this process concludes, around March or April, Romania’s intelligence services will need to make statements and provide clarifications. During this period, they must be very vigilant, as the media reports a hybrid war at the border and on Romanian territory, including through electronic means. This issue needs to be discussed at a higher level, including with NATO,” said Andrei Țăranu.
It is worth noting that the Romanian Constitutional Court (CCR) decided on Friday, December 6, to annul the presidential elections by unanimous vote. The decision followed the declassification of intelligence documents revealing the interference of a “state actor” in the campaign of candidate Călin Georgescu.
The CCR also ruled that the electoral process for selecting the President of Romania would be restarted in full, with the Romanian government tasked with setting a new date. This means that Romania’s presidential elections will begin anew, and candidates must re-register and undergo the validation process conducted by the Central Electoral Bureau of Romania.
Following the CCR's decision, President Klaus Iohannis announced that he would remain in office until a new president is elected. The Cotroceni leader also stated that the future government of Romania would be appointed after the formation of the new Parliament.
Elena Lasconi, the USR leader who qualified for the first round, announced that she would run again, according to her party.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
