Romania’s constitutional court announced on Thursday, May 22nd, the rejection of nationalist candidate George Simion’s appeal after his defeat in the presidential run-off vote at the weekend.
Simion, who lost to Bucharest’s centrist Mayor Nicușor Dan, had appealed to the constitutional court to cancel the vote, alleging foreign interference, including by France.
“At the end of its deliberations,” the court “unanimously rejected the request to annul the elections, deeming it unfounded,” according to a statement.
Sunday’s ballot came five months after Romania’s constitutional court annulled an election over allegations but without providing evidence of Russian interference and the massive social media promotion of the nationalist frontrunner, Călin Georgescu, who was not allowed to stand again.
“The Court continues its coup d’etat!” Simion immediately reacted on Facebook. “All we can do is fight! I invite you to join me, today and in the weeks to come!”
Simion had argued that foreign interference from France and neighbouring Moldova had compromised the election’s legitimacy.
His accusations were made after Pavel Durov, the founder of encrypted messaging app Telegram, said French authorities requested that the app “silence conservative voices in Romania” ahead of the presidential election—something Durov “flatly refused.”
