The political shock in Romania has no end. Less than two weeks ago Calin Georgescua very little-known candidate from TikTok with far-right, pro-Russian and esoteric views, he won completely unexpectedly first round of the presidential elections. However, less than 36 hours before the start of the second round of elections, on Friday (December 6, 2024) The Romanian Constitutional Court declared the first round of voting invalid. This means that the entire presidential election must be held from new. This decision takes the political crisis of recent weeks to a new level – with consequences that are difficult to predict.
The Constitutional Tribunal made a 180-degree turn. Earlier this week, he stated that the first round of the presidential elections is important. However, new findings have emerged regarding the influence of the TikTok platform on the elections, the financing of Georgescu's election campaign and Russian interference. On Wednesday, the incumbent president of Romania, Klaus Johannis, revealed secret service documents containing details, although in a very unclear form. For example, the documents only indirectly point to Russian influence in the election – which is entirely plausible – but Russia is not mentioned anywhere. Meanwhile, on Thursday (December 5), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke specifically about Russian interference in the Romanian presidential elections.
In Romania, the decision of the Constitutional Court caused various reactions among politicians and public opinion: disbelief and horror on the one hand, and approval on the other. Elena Lasconi, the candidate who came second in the first round and leader of the progressive-liberal party Union for the Salvation of Romania (USR), spoke about the “illegal and immoral decision” of the Constitutional Court and declared: “The Romanian state is trampling on democracy.”
“Pact with the nation and God”
In turn, the incumbent prime minister and leader of the Social Democrats (PSD) Marcel Ciolacuwho had long been a favorite in the first round of elections, called the decision “the only right solution after the disclosure of secret service documents.” Ultimately, it turned out that the results of the Romanian elections were grossly rigged as a result of Russian interference, he added.
Far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu he considered the events to be “coup” and commented on the situation in his typical messianic way: – The corrupt system showed its true face and made a pact with the devil. But me I have a pact with the Romanian people and with God – he declared. Other far-right Romanian politicians also unanimously spoke of a “coup” in Romania. At the same time, George Simion, leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unification of Romanians (AUR), called on his supporters to remain calm and “do not go to the streets.”
No signs of unrest
When Romanian President Klaus Johannis commented on the Constitutional Court's decision on Friday evening, he seemed to have difficulty choosing the right words. In a short speech, he said in a stiff and bureaucratic tone that Romania was “stable, safe, democratic” and had “no problems.” Johannis announced that he would remain president under the constitution until a successor is sworn in and promised: “I will continue to fulfill my role as president in the same way as before.” In recent years, however, Johannis has also been criticized for his lack of enthusiasm and passivity.
Fears that there might be riots were not confirmed on Friday. Overall, violent clashes are unlikely. The terrible experience of the bloody uprising against the dictator Ceausescu in December 1989 and the chaos in the following months, especially the violent marches of miners to Bucharest, still have a traumatic effect on many people today. Most of society would like to avoid such scenarios at all costs. The Romanian gendarmerie, which, alongside the police, is responsible for public security and order, denied on Friday that it had been put on high alert.
Shattered trust in the justice system
However, the real threat is the power vacuum in the coming months. New presidential elections are not scheduled to take place until March. The incumbent president, Klaus Johannis, is not a strong player. Formation of the government after Sunday parliamentary elections (December 1, 2024) may also take many months as Romania is still in election campaign mode. This threatens to politically paralyze the country for a long time.
The decision of the Constitutional Court may also deepen the deep-seated crisis of trust of Romanian society in the state and democratic institutions. After all, Friday's ruling is just the latest of several that have discredited this court – and the judiciary in general – in the eyes of many people in Romania.
In early October 2024, the Constitutional Court excluded far-right presidential candidate Diana Sosoaca from the elections because her political statements were “incompatible with democratic values” and threatened Romania's membership of the EU and NATO. At the same time, however, Calin Georgescu and AUR leader George Simion, who themselves repeatedly agitated against the EU and NATO and glorified anti-Semitic legion fascists from Romania's interwar period, were not excluded from the elections.
“The land of unlimited possibilities”
Behind the scenes of politics in Romania, there is speculation that the ruling Social Democrats, who have dominated the state and administration for 35 years, have developed an electoral scenario in which Prime Minister and PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu and AUR leader Simion would go into overtime in the presidential elections, and Ciolacu would ultimately win. Many Romanians now believe that the Constitutional Court has once again acted as an extension of the political establishment – after things went differently than planned in the first round of the presidential elections, with Georgescu in first place and Elena Lasconi in second.
According to reports, Lasconi in particular poses a threat to the old system parties because she and her group are serious about fighting corruption and other reform projects.
Prominent Romanian lawyer and former judge Cristi Danilet, who has been active in democratic civil society for many years, sarcastically commented on the Constitutional Court's decision on Facebook: “The court made a fundamental decision that can be used to correct all mistakes. Romania has become a country of unlimited opportunities.”
The article comes from the website Deutsche Welle.