Defeated Romanian nationalist candidate asks court to annul presidential elections
George Simion, the nationalist candidate who lost Romania's presidential election, said on Tuesday, May 20, he was asking the constitutional court to cancel the vote, alleging interference. Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, a pro-EU centrist, won almost 54% of the vote to beat Simion, leader of the far-right AUR party and a fan of US President Donald Trump.
Once the votes in Sunday's race were counted, Simion conceded defeat, congratulating Dan on his win. But in an about-turn on Tuesday, he announced his decision to contest the results. "I officially ask (the) Constitutional Court to annul Romanian presidential elections," he posted on X, citing "external interferences by state and non-state actors" – and including in the message flag icons for France and Moldova.
Neither those countries "nor anyone else has the right to interfere in the elections of another state," he said, calling the election a "farce." Online, supporters have been posting numerous comments blaming "the system" for "stealing" Simion's victory.
Simion said on Tuesday he congratulated Dan, "considering the figures from the polling stations." "I never want to see bloodshed in our country that would justify chaos," he said. He has repeatedly alleged electoral fraud, without giving any evidence.
France's foreign intelligence service on Monday rejected claims from Telegram founder Pavel Durov that its chief had requested the tech mogul to ban pro-conservative Romanian accounts from the platform ahead of the election.
Last year's annulled vote
The ballot came five months after Romania's constitutional court annulled an election over allegations of Russian interference and massive social media promotion of the far-right frontrunner, who was not allowed to stand again. Tens of thousands have protested the vote annulment, with top US officials also criticizing it.
For the May vote, both Dan, 55, and Simion, 38, campaigned on platforms of change, tapping into voter frustration with a political class widely deemed corrupt. Unlike the pro-Brussels Dan, an independent who promised an "honest" Romania, Simion slammed the EU's "absurd policies" and vowed to stop aid to war-torn Ukraine, which neighbors NATO member Romania.
Turnout was close to 65% – a high for the country – compared to 53% for the May 4 first round, in which Simion secured most votes. The election turmoil has increased economic uncertainty in the EU's most indebted country, which is grappling with high inflation.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities damage buildings and property
A barrage of Russian strikes on Ukraine early Friday left a trail of destruction visible across several cities in the country, where many buildings and properties were destroyed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday's strikes killed at least four people and injured dozens. The attacks targeted the capital, Kyiv, the Ternopil region in the northwest of the country, and the city of Lutsk. One person was killed in Lutsk, and several were injured following a Russian missile and drone strike on the northwestern city in the Volyn region. According to the Ukrainian authorities, 15 attack drones and six cruise missiles were directed at the city in the early hours of Friday, triggering explosions and structural collapses in several neighbourhoods. Many residents reported three powerful blasts, likely due to direct hits or the work of air defence systems. "It started around 4:30 a.m. I saw with my own eyes how things were flying there and exploding. I was standing right here, and the blast wave pushed us into the hallway. Most people ran to the shelter." Yevheniia Kamienieva, a resident of Lutsk, said. "According to eyewitnesses who were outside, since unfortunately we don't have functional shelters here, it was a missile strike," Alisa Yerofieieva, head of the condominium association in the city, said. Rescuers in the city said at least 16 people sustained various injuries from the attacks, which sparked numerous fires. Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SES) reported that the latest Russian strikes had targeted regions across Ukraine, including Kyiv, where three of those killed were rescuers. With the explosions lasting for several hours overnight, many people in the Ukrainian capital took shelter in metro stations. The SES said several administrative buildings, industrial facilities, and vehicles were also damaged. Strikes were also reported in the city of Sloviansk, according to Donetsk region police. The police said Russian drones hit Sloviansk, damaging buildings, over a dozen vehicles and a service station. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, the police said. The strikes, according to Russia's defense ministry, were in retaliation for "terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime." Russia claimed it targeted only military installations, something Kyiv disputes with evidence of mounting civilian casualties on Ukraine's side. Moscow's attacks came just days after US President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin had said "he will have to respond" following Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web, which targeted Russian warplanes at military airbases last weekend. The covert operation was described as one for the 'history books' by Ukraine's president, who blamed Russia's refusal of a proposed ceasefire in May for the latest escalation in the three-and-a-half-year-old war. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a political flashpoint in the Trump administration's stepped-up immigration enforcement, was returned to the United States late Friday. Upon return by federal authorities, Garcia was charged with orchestrating a massive human smuggling operation that brought immigrants into the US illegally. Officials said that he will be prosecuted in the US and, if convicted, will be returned to his home country in El Salvador after the case. 'This is what American justice looks like,' Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday, announcing Abrego Garcia's return and the criminal charges. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on X, Garcia would "meet the full force of American justice." She called him an "illegal alien, terrorist, gang member, and human trafficker." According to the US media, the charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. A report released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in April states that none of the people in the vehicle had luggage, while they listed the same address as Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime, while the officers allowed him to drive on with only a warning about an expired driver's license, the DHS report said. The report added that he was travelling from Texas to Maryland, via Missouri, to bring in people to perform construction work. Abrego Garcia's wife claimed in a statement following the report's release in April that he occasionally drove groups of workers between construction sites, "so it's entirely plausible he would have been pulled over while driving with others in the vehicle." "He was not charged with any crime or cited for any wrongdoing', she stressed. The Trump administration has been publicising Abrego Garcia's interactions with police over the years, despite a lack of corresponding criminal charges, while it faces a federal court order and calls from some in Congress to return him to the US. Authorities in Tennessee released video of a 2022 traffic stop last month. The body-camera footage shows a calm and friendly exchange between officers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Officers then discussed among themselves their suspicions of human trafficking because nine people were travelling without luggage. One of the officers said, 'He's hauling these people for money.' Another said he had $1,400 (€1,227) in an envelope. An attorney for Abrego Garcia, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said in a statement after the footage's release in May that he saw no evidence of a crime in the released footage. 'But the point is not the traffic stop — it's that Mr. Abrego Garcia deserves his day in court,' Sandoval-Moshenberg said. Garcia's return comes days after the Trump administration complied with a court order to return a Guatemalan man deported to Mexico despite his fears of being harmed there. The man, identified in court papers as O.C.G., was the first person known to have been returned to US custody after deportation since the start of President Donald Trump's second term.
LeMonde
7 hours ago
- LeMonde
Lula presses Macron on Mercosur trade deal during Paris visit
French President Emmanuel Macron and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva may have a close relationship, but that does not always prevent serious disagreements. Macron welcomed Lula to Paris on Thursday, June 5, for a two-day state visit, and the two leaders were set to meet again at a United Nations conference on ocean protection in Nice from June 9 to 13. The state dinner at the Elysée, which was attended by a large number of guests, was preceded earlier in the day by a tense moment during a joint press conference following their welcome at Les Invalides and initial talks. Lula launched into a passionate plea for the signing of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur (the South American trade bloc). "My dear Macron, open your heart a little," he urged the French president, who has deemed the compromise negotiated by the European Commission "unacceptable in its current form." Such an EU-Mercosur agreement would be "the best response our regions can give in a scenario of uncertainty brought about by the return of unilateralism and tariff protectionism," added the former trade unionist, referring to the threat of trade wars posed by US president Donald Trump. The Brazilian leader even encouraged the 27 member states to sign the agreement during his presidency of Mercosur in the second half of 2025.
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
Ukraine's ‘Spider's Web', Gaza, The Trump Musk feud, Elon's New city
Europe 47:37 From the show In the week that Ukraine launched Operation Spider Web. 18 months in the planning and personally overseen by President Zelensky, simultaneous drone attacks were launched across Russian airfields destroying its fighter jets and strategic bombers. The Ukrainian intelligence service claimed 40 had been left burning on the tarmac. Russia described it as terrorism, and President Putin vowed revenge. It's been a week that's seen two new Presidents elected. A hard right nationalist in Poland, winning by a whisker in the run off vote. It was the opposition-backed candidate, Karol Nav-rov-ski, a historian, and amateur boxer who's dealt a blow to the centrist prime minister Donald Tusk and his chances of reforming the country. And in South Korea, Lee Jae Mung (Pron Ee-Jay-Mung) won a snap election, following the downfall of his disgraced predecessor Yoon Sun Yoel, after his disastrous attempt to declare Martial Law last December. The new leader who on the night the troops tried to take over the National Assembly, had rallied people to come out on the streets, now pitches himself as the unifier of a divided country. It's been a back to the future week for President Trump, once again banning citizens of several countries from entering the US. Including Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, with echoes of 2017, both justified, on the grounds of protecting against terrorism. This time referring to Sunday's attack on an Israeli peace March in Colorado, carried out by an Egyptian suspect. Notably, Egypt wasn't on the list. And it's been a week when relations between Trump and Musk, fell apart quicker than a Space X falcon 9 launch.
