Romania’s top court on Thursday mandated a recount of votes in the first round of the country’s presidential election, where a far-right candidate scored a surprise victory.Â
What did the court say?
The Romanian Constitutional Court (CCR) “unanimously ordered the reverification and recounting of the voting ballots for the November 24 presidential election,” it said in a statement.Â
At the same time, the court shot down an application to annul the first round of voting, saying it had been filed after the permitted deadline. Â
Calin Georgescu, earlier a little-known independent candidate, won the first round of the election, and will face off against centrist Elena Lasconi in a runoff on December 8.
Georgescu, who was polling at just below 5% support before the election was held last Sunday, is critical of Romania’s membership in NATO and has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Â
Lasconi, meanwhile, is a strong supporter of Ukraine and backer of Romania’s NATO membership.Â
Lasconi, a former journalist, criticized the constiutional court’s decision for a recount.Â
“What the CCR is trying to do now is absolutely horrific for a democratic country,” she said. “I am here to defend democracy and call on the Central Election Bureau to handle the vote recount wisely. The law must be the same for all, not interpreted differently for some.”
Romania presidency says cyberattacks happened during vote, criticizes TikTok
The decision for a recount comes as the country’s presidency said top officials reported “cyberattacks aimed at influencing the correction of the electoral process” in Sunday’s election. The presidency said that Russia has a “growing interest” in influencing Romanian society.Â
The presidency also claimed that social media app TikTok gave “preferential treatment” to the far-right candidate who won the first round. Georgescu heavily used TikTok throughout his campaign, where he showcased love for judo and spread his populist message to potential voters.Â
Romania’s National Audiovisual Council earlier urged the European Commission to probe TikTok’s influence on the November 24 election.  Â
wd/nm (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)Â
