European Court Declines to Reinstate Romania’s Presidential Election Results

Romania’s constitutional court had annulled the results over alleged Russian interference via the social media app TikTok.

Calin Georgescu, running as an independent candidate for president of Romania, gestures while speaking to reporters in Izvorani, Romania, after making it to the Dec. 8 election runoff, on Nov. 26, 2024. AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday said it won’t reinstate the first round of Romania’s presidential election, which had been voided over allegations of Russian interference via TikTok.

The November 2024 election saw a surprise victory for independent candidate Călin Georgescu, who outperformed several better-funded and more established rivals, including Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the long-dominant Social Democratic Party.