The constitutional court in Romania has ruled to recount all the first-round votes in the country’s presidential election. The decision comes in the wake of allegations of electoral fraud, especially regarding a hotly contested race where a little-known far-right candidate, Călin Georgescu, surprised many by taking the lead.
On Thursday, Romania’s constitutional court decided to recount all ballots cast in the Sunday election. The court’s ruling is aimed at dispelling suspicions of fraud. The order mandates the country’s central electoral bureau to “recheck and recount all valid and invalid ballots,” including those cast for both major candidates.
The highly controversial result gave the win to Georgescu, a strong ultranationalist close to Moscow, after the first round of voting. He received a major upset, winning with just 5% just days prior to the election. His victory is causing quite an eyebrow among many who fear this might raise questions about the validity of the voting process.
Vote Fraud Against Centre-Right Candidate
The recount was called after allegations of vote fraud related to the votes cast for Elena Lasconi, the center-right candidate who finished second. Lasconi is due to face Georgescu in a runoff election on December 8 after this Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
Digi24.ro reports that a complaint is filed by protesting votes given to Lasconi for the legitimacy of the result of the first round. The applicants are requesting that the results of the first round be cancelled, though such a request is likely to be ruled out on Friday.
In a separate case, a complaint alleging electoral fraud against Georgescu was rejected. The court determined that the complaint had been submitted too late to be considered.
The central election bureau is to meet later on Thursday to discuss the logistics of the recount, following the court’s ruling. The president of the bureau, Toni Greblă, told Romanian media that once the official request is received, it could take several days to recount the approximately 9.5 million votes cast in the first round.
While the recount is being processed, observers have expressed concerns that this decision may undermine public trust in Romania’s electoral system. As the country moves into the parliamentary election and the crucial presidential runoff, the controversy surrounding the first-round results may have long-term effects on Romania’s political future.
Election Manipulation Allegations
Adding fuel to the fire are allegations of fraud, where there is a claim that the China-owned social media app, TikTok, has a role in influencing election results. Georgescu’s campaign gained much popularity from viral TikTok videos that were artificially boosted by bot-like activity, according to experts.
On Wednesday, Pavel Popescu, the deputy head of Romania’s telecoms regulator, Ancom, asked for TikTok to be suspended until an investigation is conducted on whether it is involved in election manipulation. He claimed this based on evidence of “manipulation of the electoral process”.
Moreover, Romania’s national defense council is examining possible national security threats that cyber activities, both from state and non-state actors, may pose to the election. The national audiovisual council (CNA) has also expressed its concerns, asking the European Commission to probe into the role of TikTok in the electoral process. The council believes that “algorithmic amplification” of posts in favor of some candidates may have influenced public opinion during the election.
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