Romania orders election recount after shock far-right win

Summary

Romania’s Constitutional Court has ordered a recount of the November 24 presidential election after far-right candidate Calin Georgescu unexpectedly won the first round, despite polling below 5% beforehand.

Georgescu, critical of NATO and supportive of Russia’s Putin, will face centrist Elena Lasconi in a December 8 runoff.

The court rejected an application to annul the election, citing a missed deadline.

The decision comes amid reports of cyberattacks and allegations of TikTok of favoring the far-right candidate.