Romanian Constitutional Court validates first round of presidential race

3/12/2024 5:58

        Romania's Constitutional Court (CCR) on Monday rejected a petition by presidential candidate Cristian Terhes seeking to annul results of the first round of the 2024 presidential election held on Nov.24.
        A unanimous decision by the court confirmed that the runoff between Calin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi will proceed as scheduled on Dec. 8.
        CCR President Marian Enache said that Terhes did not challenge the diaspora votes, making a recount unnecessary. While the court acknowledged minor discrepancies in the vote counts, it concluded these did not affect the election's outcome or the ranking of candidates.
        "The differences observed appear to be minor errors in vote counting, not evidence of fraud capable of altering the results," Enache explained.
        The electoral campaign for the second round officially begins following the court's decision publication in the Official Journal.
        Last week, the CCR had requested the Central Electoral Bureau to verify and recount both valid and null votes from the first round before reaching its final ruling.