Political Turbulence in Romania: Vote Counting in Focus

The Romanian electoral authority has begun a recount of the votes from the recent presidential elections, following a surprising victory by a radical pro-Vladimir Putin ultranationalist that caused a stir. The Constitutional Court ordered this recount after reports of irregularities and 'cyber-attacks' on the electoral infrastructure emerged. A decision on the legality of the first round of elections is expected early next week, with the possibility of a new election in December. The electoral commission aims to complete the vote count by 10 p.m. on Sunday, following the closure of the parliamentary election. Should the supreme court order a repeat of the presidential elections, these could take place on December 15th, with a potential runoff on December 29th, should no candidate achieve an absolute majority, according to Toni Greblă, the head of the electoral commission. Several investigations have been launched to determine how Călin Georgescu, a 62-year-old agricultural engineer and former honorary member of the far-right AUR party, was able to win the first round almost exclusively through a social media campaign. His success has shaken Romania's political establishment, as Georgescu's open admiration for Putin and his rejection of the EU and NATO are seen as risks to the country's and the region's security situation. The country's national security body, headed by outgoing President Klaus Iohannis, expressed suspicion on Thursday of irregularities and foreign interference. There is suspicion of growing Russian interest in influencing the public agenda in Romania and other states on NATO's eastern flank, where elections are pending. Germany's intelligence agency also warned on Friday of potential Russian influence in the new elections scheduled for February. The Kremlin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, denied any interference in the Romanian electoral process and emphasized that Moscow is not accustomed to interfering in other countries' elections. Moldova is also watching Romania with concern after its own authorities detected significant Russian influence in their tight referendum on EU membership and their presidential elections in Chișinău. Pro-European President Maia Sandu narrowly won her re-election against a pro-Russian candidate. In a Facebook message to the Romanians, Sandu warns of the dangers of a return to Russian influence: 'We do not want the Kremlin to dictate the relations between Bucharest and Chișinău.'