Similar claims following an anti-establishment candidate’s first round win last year resulted in the vote being scrapped
Romania’s Constitutional Court has rejected an election challenge filed by presidential candidate George Simion, ruling on Thursday that his claims of foreign interference were “unfounded.” Months earlier, the same court had annulled the first round of a vote, citing “irregularities” and intelligence claims of external meddling.
On Sunday, the conservative EU critic lost a run-off vote against pro-Brussels Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan by a single-digit margin. Simion contested the outcome on Tuesday, alleging “external interferences by state and non-state actors,” but the court unanimously rejected his petition.
The ruling is final, the court said in a statement, pledging to provide a full explanation at a later date. In response, Simion, who has accused several nations, including France, of orchestrating interference, labeled the court’s decision a “continuation of a coup d’état” and vowed to continue his political fight.
Last year, independent right-wing presidential candidate Calin Georgescu secured an unexpected lead, which the government attributed to foreign voter manipulation. Investigative journalists later suggested the campaign that triggered the annulment may have been orchestrated by a Romanian political party to divide the conservative electorate. Georgescu was disqualified from the re-run.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov claimed last week that the head of France’s foreign intelligence agency, the DGSE, had asked him to suppress conservative voices on the platform during Romania’s campaign season. The agency publicly denied the allegation. Durov in turn accused French authorities of deflecting criticism by linking him to unrelated criminal investigations involving users of his platform.
Following Simion’s challenge, Durov offered to testify before Romanian authorities about the interactions with French officials, saying he would do so “if it helps Romanian democracy.”
Ahead of the run-off vote, Romania’s Foreign Ministry accused Russia of attempting to influence the outcome. Moscow ridiculed the allegations, calling the process a “mess” and stating that it shouldn’t even count as a proper vote.
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