Romania’s top court ordered a vote recount in the first round of the presidential election, it said on Thursday, in a ruling observers said risked tarnishing the credibility of state institutions ahead of two more ballots.
The Court “unanimously ordered the re-verification and recounting of the voting ballots for the Nov. 24 presidential election,” it said in a statement.
Having polled in single digits before Sunday’s vote, independent far-right politician Calin Georgescu, 62, surged to a victory that raised questions over how such a surprise had been possible in the European Union and NATO member state.
The decision adds to the turmoil surrounding the electoral process in Romania, which is scheduled to hold three ballots in as many weeks, votes which are crucial to the direction of a country that has been pro-Western and a staunch ally of Ukraine.
Georgescu has previously praised 1930s Romanian fascist politicians as national heroes and martyrs, has been critical of NATO and Romania’s stance on Ukraine, and has said the country should engage, not challenge Russia.
He will face centrist contender Elena Lasconi in a run-off on December 8. Meanwhile parliamentary elections are scheduled for Sunday.
There were 9.46 million votes cast in the election.
Recount
The decision to call for a recount was made after conservative presidential candidate Cristian Terhes, who got 1% of the votes on Sunday, challenged the ballot’s result.
Terhes has asked that the Court annul the election outcome. The court postponed a ruling for November 29 but also asked for a recount.
The head of the country’s election authority Toni Grebla said once the official request is received it would take days to recount the votes.
Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu ranked third on Sunday, only 2,740 votes behind runner-up Lasconi.
Georgescu gained many votes from young voters and Romanians living abroad, and his campaign relied heavily on video sharing platform TikTok.
On Wednesday, a senior official at Romania’s telecoms regulator called for TikTok to be suspended pending an investigation into the platform’s potential role in the election.
TikTok has dismissed such concerns and says most candidates campaigned on its platform as well as on other social media sites.
The country’s top security body meets on Thursday to discuss potential national security risks stemming from cyber state and non-state entities.
In October, the Constitutional Court banned a far-right politician from running in the presidential election in a ruling analysts, civil rights groups and some parties said overstepped its powers.