Romanian election chaos: Court ruling fuels uncertainty days before presidential vote

With key elections just ten days away, a local court’s decision has sparked widespread confusion, legal uncertainty, and fears of deepening political instability in Romania, a key EU and NATO member.

The Romanian presidential election, scheduled for 4 May, has plunged into further turmoil following a surprising ruling by the Ploiești Appeals Court on 24 April. This court annulled the Romanian Constitutional Court’s December 2024 decision to cancel the first round of the 2024 presidential election, which was voided due to alleged Russian interference favouring far-right candidate Călin Georgescu.

The Constitutional Court’s original annulment followed declassified intelligence reports revealing a Russian-backed campaign on TikTok, involving 25,000 accounts and undeclared funding, which propelled Georgescu from obscurity to frontrunner in the 24 November vote.

The court cited violations of electoral integrity, including cyberattacks and illegal campaign financing, to justify restarting the process. The re-run was set for 4 May, with a runoff on 18 May, and new mainstream candidates, including Crin Antonescu (backed by the ruling coalition) and Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, emerged after Georgescu was barred from running due to his alleged ties to the irregularities. On the side of the far-right, George Simion, leader of AUR, took the political space previously occupied by Georgescu.

The Ploiești Appeals Court’s decision to overturn the Constitutional Court’s ruling raised serious questions about its legality and implications. According to Digi24, the judge’s move could trigger a disciplinary investigation, as the Constitutional Court’s decisions are typically final and binding under Romanian law. Legal experts, cited by the Romanian news outlet Biziday, argue that the appeals court lacks jurisdiction to challenge the Constitutional Court, creating a constitutional crisis.

Posts on X reflect public bewilderment, with some users calling it “unprecedented legal chaos” and speculating about a potential reinstatement of the 2024 results, which could see Georgescu face Elena Lasconi in a delayed runoff. However, the High Court of Cassation and Justice previously rejected Georgescu’s appeal to resume the 2024 election, adding to the legal quagmire.

The Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) has stated that the Ploiești ruling does not affect the upcoming May election, which will proceed as planned. Biziday reports that the electoral process, including candidate registrations and campaign timelines, remains intact, as the decision is not final and can be appealed within five days.

However, the uncertainty has fueled public distrust in Romania’s institutions, already strained by decades of corruption and political dysfunction. An Avangarde poll, cited by Hotnews.ro, shows Georgescu retaining strong support (38% in a hypothetical re-run), reflecting persistent anti-establishment sentiment despite his exclusion from the May vote.

Analysts warn that this chaos could further erode faith in Romanian democracy. The Atlantic Council notes that the 2024 annulment, while aimed at countering foreign interference, risked amplifying populist narratives, with Georgescu framing it as a “coup” against voters. The Ploiești ruling exacerbates this, potentially galvanising his supporters and far-right groups like the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), which polled strongly in recent parliamentary elections. Protests, both pro- and anti-Georgescu, have persisted since December, and Crisis24 predicts continued unrest through the election period, with Russian actors likely exploiting the discord.

The European Court of Human Rights’ January 2025 rejection of Georgescu’s appeal underscores the international stakes. Romania’s pro-Western orientation hangs in the balance, as a shift toward nationalist, Russia-friendly politics could align it with states like Hungary or Slovakia. Despite this, an Inscop poll shows 87.5% of Romanians favour EU and NATO alliances, suggesting the crisis stems more from domestic disillusionment than geopolitical realignment.

In sum, the Ploiești ruling has thrown Romania’s presidential election into disarray, with legal, political, and societal ramifications. While the May vote is expected to proceed, the spectre of further challenges looms, threatening Romania’s democratic stability and its standing in the Euro-Atlantic community.

The Ploiești court ruling, however, is not the only thing shedding doubt over the cancelled election.

The claim reported by the Romanian news outlet Snoop – that the TikTok campaign by Georgescu in the 2024 Romanian presidential election was funded by the pro-European National Liberal Party (PNL), possibly by mistake – has stirred significant controversy. This allegation suggests a dramatic twist in the narrative surrounding the annulled November 2024 election.

If it is proved that the PNL really did fund Georgescu’s TikTok campaign, this will seriously undermine the official narrative of Russian interference, casting fresh doubt on the Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the election.

With Digi24, Snoop, Reuters, Euronews, Politico, Euractiv.bg, AP news, Biziday