Romania's top court rejects far-right candidate Simion's bid to annul presidential election results

Romania's Constitutional Court on May 22 unanimously rejected an application by defeated presidential candidate George Simion to annul the election results, the court announced in a statement.

Days before, Simion, leader of Romania's far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), appealed the results despite conceding defeat to pro-EU candidate Nicusor Dan on May 18. He asked to annul the Romanian presidential elections due to "external interferences by state and non-state actors."

Simion cited a post from Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who claimed a "Western European government" asked the company to restrict "conservative voices in Romania."

The court rejected Simion's application as "unfounded."

Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, secured 53.6% of the vote in the runoff, defeating Simion's 46.4%, according to Romania's electoral authority.

"The massive vote on May 18 shows that Romanians believe in change and are calling for the reform of institutions that have disappointed them," Dan said after the court approved the results.

Romania's previous presidential election, held in November 2024, was annulled by the Constitutional Court following evidence of foreign manipulation, including pro-Russian disinformation campaigns.

That vote was won by populist candidate Calin Georgescu, who openly promoted conspiracy theories and described Ukraine as a "fictional state."

Bucharest has played a critical role in Ukraine's defense, signing a bilateral security pact with Kyiv, facilitating grain exports, and providing key air defense systems.

Dan has pledged to continue Romania's support for Ukraine, strengthen ties with the EU, and uphold democratic institutions. President Volodymyr Zelensky invited him to Ukraine for talks, noting the "nearest opportunities for us to meet."

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The Kyiv IndependentAndreas Umland