Romania's court cancels first round of presidential vote over Russian interference claims

Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the first round of the presidential election, which was won by far-right candidate Calin Georgescu. This decision follows allegations of Russian interference through a large social media campaign promoting Georgescu. The court's ruling came after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence indicating that Russia used thousands of social media accounts to influence the election. A new date will be set for the first round, which had originally been scheduled for a runoff on Sunday. Reformist candidate Elena Lasconi condemned the annulment, arguing it undermines democracy. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu supported the court's decision, stating that the election results were distorted by foreign interference.