Romanian Court Annuls Presidential Election Results and Orders a New Vote
A person voting in the first round of Romania’s presidential election in Sintesti, near Bucharest, Romania, in November. Photo by Andreea Campeanu / Reuters
The New York Times
Europe’s efforts to contain a resurgence of nationalism and Russian interference entered dangerous new territory on Friday when Romania canceled a high-stakes presidential election, just two days before a runoff vote that an ultranationalist candidate had been well positioned to win.
The dramatic decision to call off Sunday’s election and annul a first round of voting, which was on Nov. 24, was taken by Romania’s constitutional court, which said it had acted “to ensure the correctness and legality of the electoral process.”
Calin Georgescu, an ultranationalist and the front-runner in Sunday’s aborted vote, in a video statement swiftly denounced the court’s ruling as “a legalized coup d’état” that “took democracy and trampled it underfoot.”
Claiming that he had God on his side, Mr. Georgescu, an Orthodox Christian who often talks of his faith, said a win for his camp was assured because “victory belongs to God.” But he stopped short of calling on his supporters to take to the streets in protest, urging them to “be confident, be courageous and remain faithful to our common ideals.”
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