BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — After a ballot recount, a top Romanian court on Monday validated the first round of a presidential race in which a far-right outsider emerged as the frontrunner, plunging the country into turmoil amid allegations of electoral violations and Russian meddling.
The Constitutional Court’s unanimous decision came after it had asked the Central Election Bureau to recount and verify all 9.4 million ballots cast in the first round of the presidential election on Nov. 24. The election bureau approved the request and proceeded with the recount.
Monday's decision is final.
Calin Georgescu, a little-known far-right populist and independent candidate, narrowly won the first round, beating the incumbent prime minister Marcel Ciolacu. Georgescu will face reformist Elena Lasconi, the leader of the Save Romania Union party, in a runoff on Sunday.
Lasconi beat Ciolacu by just 2,740 votes.
The recount was prompted by a complaint lodged by Cristian Terhes, a presidential candidate who garnered 1% of the ballot. Terhes’ media office said the court ordered the recount “due to indications of fraud,” alleging that valid votes cast for Ludovic Orban — who had dropped out of the race but remained on the ballot — were reassigned to Lasconi.
He also claimed that Lasconi’s party had urged people to vote before some diaspora polls had closed, saying it violated electoral laws against campaign activities on polling day.
On Monday, the election bureau submitted partial recount results to the court, which did not include hundreds of thousands of the votes from Romania’s large diaspora.
Dominic Fritz, the vice president of Save Romania Union party led by Lasconi, said in a statement before that court’s decision that more than 8 million votes had been recounted, and that “no one has found any reason to question the final results.”
Many observers had warned that invalidating the vote could further fuel the crisis that gripped Romania's political establishment in the wake of the first round.
Georgescu’s unexpected success prompted a series of protests by people who claim he is a threat to democracy and who are concerned with previous remarks he made in praising Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Many have attributed to his rapid rise in popularity on the social media platform TikTok.
According to a report by Expert Forum, a Bucharest-based think tank, Georgescu’s account had an explosion, which it said “appears sudden and artificial, similar to his polling results.”
Without naming Georgescu, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis’ office said after a Supreme Council of National Defense meeting last Thursday that an analysis of documents revealed that “a presidential candidate benefited from massive exposure due to preferential treatment granted by the TikTok platform.”
Romania’s National Audiovisual Council asked the European Commission to investigate TikTok’s role in the Nov. 24 vote. Pavel Popescu, the vice president of Romania’s media regulator Ancom, said he would request TikTok’s suspension in Romania if investigations find evidence of “manipulation of the electoral process.”
In an emailed statement to The Associated Press on Monday, TikTok said it was “inaccurate and misleading to ascribe his campaign activity solely to TikTok,” and noted that Georgescu also used other social media platforms.
“We are highly vigilant against actors who seek to use deceptive behaviors to try to affect civic processes and work diligently to identify and remove covert influence operations,” the statement said.
Separately, Romania held a parliamentary election on Sunday in which pro-Western parties won the most votes and will look to form a coalition government. The ballot also saw a surge of support for far-right nationalists who made huge gains in the country’s legislature.
Calin Georgescu, an independent candidate for president who came first after the first round of presidential elections, leaves after casting his vote in the country's parliamentary elections, in Mogosoaia, Romania, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)
Elena Lasconi, runner up in the presidential runoff, representing the Save Romania Union, or USR, speaks after exit polls were published in the country's parliamentary elections, in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Calin Georgescu, an independent candidate for president who came first after the first round of presidential election, casts his vote in the country's parliamentary election in Mogosoaia, Romania, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A gavel sits on the judges' table at the Constitutional Court in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Some storm-weary residents of the Great Lakes region saw additional snow Monday and faced the prospect of even more accumulations this week after U.S. travelers battled harsh weather to get home after Thanksgiving, forecasters said.
Lake-effect snow continued to fall on parts of western New York that were already blanketed with a foot or more over the past four days. By Monday morning, the village of Cassadaga, east of Lake Erie, recorded 5.5 feet (1.7 meters) of snow. And snow was expected to continue through Tuesday in the largely rural area south of Buffalo.
"We’re expecting about another foot, but some locations will likely pick up a little bit more than that,” said meteorologist Phillip Pandolfo.
Lake-effect snow warnings were in effect through Tuesday night in parts of Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania.
Nearly 4 feet (1.2 meters) of lake-effect snow — caused by warm, moist air blowing across the Great Lakes — fell over the weekend on upstate New York and parts of Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Snow showers fell in western Michigan overnight, and heavier, persistent snow of up to a foot (30 centimeters) was expected to follow Monday, the National Weather Service said. More snow is expected Wednesday and Thursday, along with gusty winds and freezing temperatures.
Skies were clear east of Lake Ontario in northern New York, where some residents were still digging out from mountains of snow.
“We’ve got snow banks that are higher than me — that’s pushing probably 8 to 10 feet high,” said Mary Shambo, owner of the Cottage Inn in Copenhagen, New York. The small village received just under six feet (1.8 meters) of snow in four days.
Shambo and her husband, Ben, managed to stay open through the thick of the storm this weekend. Some locals arrived by snowmobile, but they mostly served truckers who pulled off the road when bands of snow became particularly fierce.
“It goes from whiteout conditions to clear,” she said, “so they would take off when it was clear and hope to God they got to where they needed to go.”
In Ohio, the mayor of Geneva-on-the-Lake has been using a backhoe almost nonstop since Thursday to clear more than four feet of snow that socked the quaint village siting along Lake Erie east of Cleveland.
“It was just relentless. We’d plow and a couple hours later it’d be back again,” said Mayor Dwayne Bennett. “Every business down here has been shut down the last four days. You can’t even get in the front doors.”
“The problem is we’re not equipped to handle this much snow in this amount of time,” he said.
Flinty fans scoffed at the flurries and numbing temperatures during Sunday’s nighttime NFL game in Buffalo, New York, against the San Francisco 49ers.
The NFL’s Bills said the organization would pay $20 per hour and provide food and hot drinks to snow shovelers.
The lake-effect storm began hitting the area Saturday near the Bills’ stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Though the storm shifted south of the stadium by noon Sunday, snow continued to fall off and on through the day. Flurries began to fall more heavily just before kickoff. The game was played in chilly conditions, with the temperature at 27 degrees (minus 3 Celsius), with the wind chill making it feel like 17 (minus 8 Celsius). The Bills often play in such conditions at home late in the season.
Tim LoTemple, a Bills season-ticket holder from Rochester, New York, and part of the team's rabid fan base known as “Bills Mafia," said the freezing temperatures and snow energize the players and fans. Still, the 49ers game was practically temperate compared to previous matchups at Highmark Stadium.
“We love snow over here. You know how Bills Mafia is, we love the cold," he said from a parking lot tailgate party. "This is nothing compared to what we’ve seen before.”
But for Jake Dyer, an Indianapolis Colts fan visiting from Southern California, a cold-weather game is a rarity.
“Only thing I didn’t prepare for was shoes. I double up on everything else, but my feet are cold,” he said. “Mad respect for anybody who comes out. Anybody can sit at home, comfy in their chair to watch this game.”
Up to 17 inches (43 centimeters) of snow fell in Alaska’s capital city of Juneau over the weekend as part of a system that was “definitely stronger” than what the region typically experiences this time of year, said National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Spann.
Snow had transitioned to freezing rain early Monday, he said, with roads icy in some areas. Wet, heavy snow was piled on sidewalks along busy streets near downtown Juneau, and slushy pools were forming at some intersections. School went to remote learning in Juneau on Monday, and state offices were closed due to freezing rain. Ice encased the thin branches on some trees.
The forecast called for rain and unusually warm temperatures, in the 40s, this week.
While some other communities north of Juneau also got heavy snowfall, further south there was heavy rain. Ketchikan received 6.38 inches (about 16 centimeters) of rain over 24 hours, Spann said.
Parts of Michigan were battered by lake-effect snow as bands rolling off Lake Superior buried parts of the Upper Peninsula under 2 feet (61 centimeters) or more, said Lily Chapman, a weather service meteorologist.
Twenty-seven inches (69 centimeters) of snow fell northeast of Ironwood, in the Upper Peninsula’s western reaches. More than a foot (30.5 centimeters) could fall over the eastern Upper Peninsula through Monday morning, Chapman said Saturday.
Contributing to this report were Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska
Workers clear snow on side streets Monday, Dec 2, 2024, In Erie, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Matthew Jewell helps shovel snow off his father's car on the side street in Erie, Pa., Monday, Dec 2, 2024. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
A truck travels on interstate 90 near New York-Pennsylvania border in Ripley, N.Y., Monday, Dec 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
A truck travels on interstate 90 near New York-Pennsylvania border in Ripley, N.Y., Monday, Dec 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
A man clears a path through the snow in Elma, N.Y., Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
A man clears a path through the snow using a tractor in Elma, N.Y., Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
A plow removes snow from M-42 in Antrim County, Mich. on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)
Mailboxes covered in snow in Antrim County, Mich. on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)
A man plows a sidewalk after a snow storm in Lowville, N.Y., Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
A school bus is on a delayed schedule after a snow storm in Lowville, N.Y., Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
A snowplow clears snow as the sun rises in Lowville, N.Y., Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
Snow falls at Highmark Stadium during the second half of an NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) and head coach Sean McDermott make snow angels on the field while being interviewed after an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
A San Francisco 49ers fan stands between snow covered seats before an NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the 49ers in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Snow is cleared from a Highmark Stadium parking lot for a Sunday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Vehicles are covered during a snow storm in Lowville, N.Y., on Sunday Dec, 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
Drivers take advantage of the lull between lake-effect snowfalls in Lowville, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
Icicles form over a flag during a snow storm, in Lowville, N.Y., on Sunday Dec, 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
A snowplow operates in Lowville, N.Y., on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
People walk in lake-effect snow on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Lowville, N.Y. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
Snow rests on top of a cow sculpture in Lowville, N.Y., on Sunday Dec, 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
