Călin Georgescu, the nationalist candidate who won the first round of the Romanian presidential elections, has claimed democracy has been cancelled in his country.
His comments on December 8 were in reference to the Constitutional Court’s earlier decision to suspend the electoral process, the final round of which should have been held on the same day.
“Today is Constitution Day, but there is nothing constitutional in Romania,” Georgescu told the media outside the polling station in Mogoșoaia, 20km north of the capital Bucharest, where he was due to vote.
He said the annulment of the elections had “practically cancelled democracy but not freedom”.
Romania’s Constitutional Court had on December 6 declared the elections null and void, saying it wanted to “guarantee the impartiality and legality of the electoral process”.
The independent Romanian politician, polling at 6 per cent of the vote, won the first round of the presidential election on November 24 with 23 per cent of the vote, topping the candidates of the country’s major parties, the Social Democratic PSD and the Liberal PNL.
Romanian intelligence services claimed to have detected interference in the campaign by an unnamed “state actor”, which several media investigations and the US Government identified as Russia.
Some 5 million Romanians live abroad, mainly in Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK but a large proportion do not participate in elections.
“We have to take back our democracy,” Georgescu said amid cheers from his supporters, accusing the media of lying and the current President Klaus Iohannis of being a “traitor”.
In response, Iohannis said he would continue his efforts democratically and called for peace.
On Constitution Day, December 8, the court issued a statement saying that there were currently “forces that threaten the fundamental values of democracy”.
“Against manipulation and misinformation, we, as a nation, have a duty to promote the truth and reaffirm faith in the Fundamental Law as the indisputable pillar of unity, progress and national sovereignty,” it said.
The country is in a fragmented judicial and political situation. Outgoing President Iohannis, whose term expires in two weeks, has said he will remain in office until the new Head of State is sworn in.
It is up to the government to call new presidential elections, which could be held in the spring. The current government, a coalition between the PSD and the PNL, remains in office indefinitely, as the second round of the parliamentary elections has also been cancelled.
Talks for a new coalition government are already underway, while the actions of the Constitutional Court continue to provoke public debate.
