Romanian runner-up wants presidential vote nixed for ‘external interferences'
Right-wing EU critic George Simion has said he would challenge the result of Romania's presidential election, claiming it was compromised by 'foreign interference,' flagging France and Moldova in particular.
Sunday's runoff saw pro-EU Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan defeat his Euroskeptic rival with 54% of the vote in the second round of Romania's presidential election.
The rerun was ordered after Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the results of the November election, in which independent candidate Calin Georgescu, an EU and NATO critic, finished first with 23% of the vote. The authorities claimed that there had been 'irregularities' in his campaign, citing intelligence reports alleging Russian interference – allegations which Moscow has denied.
In a Tuesday post on X, Simion – who had been the frontrunner – said he had 'officially' asked Romania's top court to annul Sunday's election result 'for the very reasons the December elections were annulled.'
🚨🇷🇴 I officially ask Constitutional Court TO ANNUL Romanian presidential elections (May 2025).For the very reasons December elections were annulled: EXTERNAL INTERFERENCES by state and non-state actors. This time proven with evidence! Neither 🇫🇷, nor 🇲🇩, nor anyone else has…
He claimed that there was evidence of 'external interferences by state and non-state actors,' adding that 'Neither France nor Moldova nor anyone else has the right to interfere in the elections of another state.'
Simion had previously claimed the electoral rolls contained some 1.7 million fictitious names and accused the government of busing in voters from neighboring Moldova. His Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) had also claimed that Moldova's pro-EU ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) had directed its million-strong diaspora in Romania to vote for Dan.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who has claimed French intelligence tried to pressure him into censoring conservative Romanian channels ahead of Sunday's vote, reposted Simion's message, saying he is 'ready to come and testify if it helps Romanian democracy.'
I'm ready to come and testify if it helps Romanian democracy. https://t.co/lEq16uKg8b
Paris has denied Durov's claim. Romanian officials, in turn, have accused Russia of interfering in the election without providing any proof.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed the accusations, calling the election 'strange' and asserting the most popular candidate had been 'forcibly' removed without justification. In response to Durov's remarks, he also cited what he called the EU's history of meddling in other countries' affairs.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also dismissed Bucharest's accusations, calling the latest vote illegitimate and saying Romanian officials should clean up their own 'electoral mess' instead of blaming others.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
28-05-2025
- Russia Today
UK charges Tate brothers with human trafficking and rape
British prosecutors have approved multiple charges against social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate, including rape and human trafficking. The brothers, who face similar charges in Romania, have denied any wrongdoing. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Wednesday that it had authorized 21 charges related to offences allegedly committed between 2012 and 2015, according to multiple media outlets. British authorities issued a warrant in 2024, but full details were released only on Wednesday. Andrew Tate, 38, is accused of ten offences involving three alleged victims, including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain. His brother Tristan, 36, faces 11 charges, including rape and human trafficking, related to one alleged victim. 'It is extremely important that there be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings,' the CPS was quoted as saying. The Tate brothers, dual US-UK citizens, were first arrested in Romania in 2022 on charges including human trafficking, sexual misconduct, and forming an organized crime group. They spent three months in custody and have since been under house arrest with restricted movement. That case stalled in December 2024 when a Bucharest appeals court returned the indictment to prosecutors, citing procedural issues. The brothers are also under investigation in the US, though the nature of that probe remains unclear. It was opened in March after the Tates briefly stayed in Florida following the lifting of their Romanian travel ban. In February, the Financial Times reported that US President Donald Trump's administration had helped the brothers – vocal supporters of the president – enter the country. Trump told reporters he knew 'nothing about that.' The two men returned to Romania in March for a court proceeding. After the Romanian investigation concludes, they are set to be extradited to the UK. The Tates are the sons of an American chess master and a British catering assistant. Andrew, a former professional kickboxer, has amassed over 10 million followers on X by promoting a lifestyle of luxury cars, watches, and private jets. He also runs an online academy offering courses to young men on wealth and relationships.
Russia Today
27-05-2025
- Russia Today
Banned ex-Romanian presidential front-runner quits politics
Former Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu has stated that he will be withdrawing from politics, following the victory of a pro-EU candidate in a presidential election rerun from which he was banned, earlier this month. Georgescu, a former UN official, ran as an independent in Romania's November 2024 presidential election, campaigning on national sovereignty, criticism of Bucharest's involvement in NATO and the EU, and opposition to continued military aid for Ukraine. Having won the initial round of voting, his victory was annulled by the country's Constitutional Court, citing 'irregularities' in his campaign along with intelligence reports alleging Russian interference—claims Moscow has denied. The election was rerun on May 18 without Georgescu on the ballot. In a video address published on Monday, Georgescu stated that he has chosen to become a 'passive observer of public and social life' and to end his 'active involvement in the political process, considering that this stage of the sovereignist movement has ended from my point of view.' He also stated that he would not join or lead any political party or attempt to hold 'any position in the Romanian state in the current situation.' Instead, Georgescu said he will focus his attention and energy on his family. Georgescu left open the possibility of returning to public life, if he sees that 'the rights of those who have chosen differently are being violated or injustices and abuses arise.' Romania's electoral authorities banned Georgescu from taking part in this month's rerun - a decision that was also upheld by the Constitutional Court, citing alleged violations of campaign finance rules and national security concerns. He was replaced on the ballot by Euroskeptic candidate George Simion - the leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party. Simion lost in the second round of voting to Bucharest Mayor and EU supporter Nicusor Dan. The right-wing candidate has since refused to recognize the results, citing a 'coordinated international interference' campaign. Moscow has described Romania's latest election as 'strange, at the very least,' noting that Dan did not secure victory until Georgescu - the frontrunner - was disqualified. Telegram founder Pavel Durov also claimed last week that Nicolas Lerner, the head of French foreign intelligence, personally urged him to censor conservative voices on the platform ahead of the Romanian election.
Russia Today
26-05-2025
- Russia Today
Top Russian MP advises Telegram's Durov to leave France
Telegram founder Pavel Durov should leave France as soon as possible following his claims that the country's foreign intelligence agency, the DGSE, pressured him to censor conservative voices on his platform, Russian MP Aleksey Zhuravlev has said. Earlier in May, Durov accused the DGSE of attempting to interfere in Romania's elections by pushing for censorship on Telegram, which he allegedly refused. The spy agency denied the allegations, but the tech entrepreneur doubled down, accusing Paris of abusing 'terror' and 'child porn' investigations as a pretext to pursue a political agenda. 'I would advise him to leave France at the first opportunity – the risk of ending up behind bars again is too high, especially if he continues to resist the demands of the French intelligence services,' said Aleksey Zhuravlev, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, in an interview with RIA Novosti on Saturday. Durov, whose company is based in Dubai, was arrested in France in August 2024 on charges of complicity in crimes allegedly committed by Telegram users, including extremism and child abuse. He was later released on €5 million ($5.46 million) bail. Although he was allowed to travel to the UAE in March, his recent request to visit the US was denied, and he remains under restricted supervision. '[Durov] himself said that the DGSE, France's external intelligence agency, demanded that Telegram organize a campaign against right-wing politicians in Romania,' Zhuravlev said, questioning the conditions of Durov's release and noting that the tech entrepreneur is still restricted from international travel. 'It is more useful to always keep such an influential person in the field of new media within arm's reach,' he added. Zhuravlev argued that Durov has likely come to fully grasp the nature of 'Western democracy,' where, he claimed, the law can be bent to suit political aims. However, he suggested that Durov remains unable to extricate himself from the situation, possibly due to compromising material being held against Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also weighed in, accusing French President Emmanuel Macron of using 'barbaric' methods to advance his foreign policy agenda. 'It turns out that [President Emmanuel] Macron had Durov arrested not even to address internal issues with the messenger, but to influence the elections in Romania – realizing that the candidate from the liberal dictatorship wouldn't be able to win under any legal circumstances,' Zakharova wrote on Telegram on Saturday.
