STORY: :: Thousands march to the Romanian parliament in protest over its canceled presidential election
:: January 12, 2025
:: Bucharest, Romania
:: Daniela, Protester
“They cancelled our right to vote. I don’t care about Georgescu or Lasconi, it is about the right to cast the ballot.”
Led by the leader of the opposition hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR), George Simion, the demonstrators blocked traffic and called for the resignation of outgoing centrist President Klaus Iohannis.
Romania’s top court voided the presidential election on Dec. 6, two days before the second round. The decision polarized voters already angered by mainstream parties’ political infighting and graft allegations.
It weakened public trust in state institutions, and strengthened hard right parties, which now hold over a third of parliamentary seats.
The cancellation of the result in the European Union and NATO member-country came after state documents showed far-right NATO critic frontrunner Calin Georgescu had benefitted from an unfair social media campaign likely orchestrated by Russia, accusations Moscow has denied.
The court ordered that the election be re-run in its entirety. The pro-European coalition government has yet to approve a calendar for the election, although party leaders agreed to hold the two rounds on May 4 and May 18.
President Iohannis, whose term expired on Dec. 21, will stay on until his successor is elected.