Romanian far-right candidate says democracy "cancelled" along with election

By Kuba Stezycki

The Romanian far-right presidential candidate at the centre of a Russian electoral meddling scandal turned up at the place he would have voted in on Sunday, saying the Constitutional Court's decision to cancel the ballot was fatal for democracy.

The court annulled the ongoing presidential election after accusations of Russian meddling and on Friday ruled the entire process, which had been due to conclude this weekend, would have to be re-run. Russia denies any interference in the process.

Sunday's second round would have pitted Calin Georgescu, a far-right, pro-Russian candidate who was ahead in the first round, against pro-European Union centrist leader Elena Lasconi.

On Sunday morning, Georgescu was greeted by a crowd of supporters and journalists at the school where he would have cast his vote.

"We shall continue in the democratic manner," he said, speaking in English. "I ask very clearly for peace, for all the things that we have to recuperate our democracy because democracy was cancelled with the court."

Meanwhile, in a letter dated Dec. 7 and posted on social media platform X late on Saturday, Lasconi told U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that she also feared democracy was in danger.

"The past 35 years we have had democracy, but government and corrupt politicians have failed to deliver for the Romanian people," she wrote. "I fear we have 15 years to go - maybe less - where no one wants to go: dictatorship."

If Georgescu were to win the presidency, it would upend the pro-Western politics of the EU and NATO member, pushing Romania closer to central and eastern European states with populist, Russia-friendly leaders, including Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.

Georgescu wants to end Romanian support for Ukraine as its defence against Russia's invasion enters a fourth year in February.

Sorin Scuratovschi, 46, a Georgescu supporter, said the court ruling had been "totally unfair" and "an attack on democracy".

Wile Georgescu and Lasconi slammed the decision to cancel the election, Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu supported the move on Friday, calling it "the only correct solution".