Romania's top court orders recount of presidential first-round votes

NEWS WIRES

28 November 2024 at 8:28 am·1-min read

Romania's constitutional court on Thursday ordered a recount of votes cast in the first round of the presidential election after far-right candidate Calin Georgescu massively out-performed his pre-vote polling. Romania's media watchdog on Wednesday requested the European Commission formally investigate TikTok’s role in the election, alleging the social media platform had boosted Georgescu's support.

Romania's presidential election was thrown into chaos Thursday as a court ordered a recount of first-round results and security officials alleged that interference via TikTok had boosted a little-known far-right candidate.

The moves came as the country braces for legislative polls plus a run-off vote between a far-right admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a pro-European centrist contender.

The Romanian presidency said security officials had detected "cyberattacks" intended to influence the outcome of Sunday's vote, which saw far-right candidate Calin Georgescu secure an unexpected first-round win.

Georgescu knocked Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu out of the race, setting up a second-round standoff on December 8 with centrist Elena Lasconi, who placed second.

Another far-right candidate meanwhile went after Lasconi, securing an order from the constitutional court on Thursday for the first-round votes to be recounted.

In response, the constitutional court unanimously ordered a "re-verification and recount of all ballots" from Sunday's vote, it said in a statement.

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