Run-off election on Sunday

Election result in Romania now recognized

The far-right Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu(Bild: AFP/Mihai Barbu)

Romania's Constitutional Court recognized the election result on Monday evening. Previously, the losing candidate Cristian Terhes had filed a petition to annul the first round of the presidential election. The run-off election is therefore this Sunday.

Last week, the Constitutional Court had already ruled that a similar application by another losing presidential candidate was inadmissible. Stefan Popescu had described the non-transparent campaign financing of the right-wing extremist Georgescu as unconstitutional.

Romania's constitution stipulates that the results of a presidential election can be annulled if they are "based on fraud" and have "influenced the order of the candidates who entered the run-off".

Presidential candidate Calin Georgescu(Bild: AFP/Mihai Barbu)

His challenger Elena Lasconi(Bild: AFP/Daniel Mihailescu)

Ultra-right versus western-oriented
In the run-off for the highest state office are the ultra-right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu and the western-oriented opposition leader Elena Lasconi, who is also considered conservative. The social democratic Prime Minister and favorite Marcel Ciolacu surprisingly only came third and therefore did not make it into the run-off.

Romanians also elected a new parliament on Sunday. The strongest party was the social democratic PSD, but far-right parties also performed surprisingly well.