Opposition politician Calin Georgescu appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg the decision of the Constitutional Court to cancel the presidential elections in Romania, his lawyer Maria Vasii said.
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Earlier, the Bucharest Court of Appeal rejected Georgescu’s claim, which tried to challenge the decisions of the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) to annul the results of the first round of the presidential elections.
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“Applying to the ECHR is a natural and absolutely necessary step to protect the fundamental rights of Mr. Calin Georgescu, an independent candidate, as well as all Romanian citizens who deserve a fair and transparent electoral process. We will continue to use all legal and constitutional instruments at our disposal as a country , and at the international level to protect the rights of Mr. Calin Georgescu and the voices of Romanians,” Vasii said.
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Georgescu asks the ECHR to suspend the decision of the Romanian Constitutional Court to cancel the elections until the verdict of the European Court is rendered, to oblige the Romanian government to resume the electoral process, respecting the results of the first round, and to organize a second round of the presidential election between Georgescu and Elena Lasconi. The ECHR should also oblige the Romanian authorities to “take measures to eliminate moral and democratic prejudices by restoring confidence in the electoral process.”
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Georgescu asked the court to “consider the case expeditiously, given the seriousness and urgency of the violations identified.” According to the European Court’s response obtained by HotNews, Georgescu’s application will be considered “as soon as possible, in January 2025.”
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In Romania, presidential elections were held on November 24. According to the results of the first round, independent candidate Georgescu took first place with 22.94% of the votes, who conducted an active campaign on TikTok. His main rival Elena Lasconi, who supports partnership with NATO and the United States, received 19.18% of the vote.
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On December 6, the Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of elections after considering complaints from public organizations, candidates and government agencies. Declassified documents were presented as evidence, according to which the campaign was carried out with violations.
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President Klaus Iohannis said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and intelligence services had identified significant violations. According to them, hundreds of bloggers were paid to promote Georgescu, and more than 25 thousand accounts were used on TikTok, the activity of which increased sharply two weeks before the elections. Accounts were managed through Telegram channels.
