Romania's presidential election redo is a high-stakes test of its democracy following annulled vote

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's presidential election redo next month will be a high-stakes test for the European Union member’s democracy after last year’s annulled vote triggered the country’s deepest political crisis since 1989.

Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the election on Dec. 6 after the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped first-round polls. The decision followed allegations of electoral violations and a Russian campaign promoting Georgescu, who is now under investigation and barred from the rerun. Moscow has denied it meddled.

“What happened last year was very serious and ... at that time, completely anti-democratic,” Elena Lasconi, who came second to enter the runoff last year and is participating in the new election, told The Associated Press. “It was not justified, in my opinion.”

Once a communist state until the end of the Cold War, Romania has spent decades trying to build strong democratic institutions. But last year’s annulled election shattered public trust — and it could take years to repair the damage.

“I think the public trust in political parties, in public institutions, in the state generally was quite low,” says Septimius Parvu, coordinator of the electoral program at Expert Forum, a pro-democracy think-tank. “This dislocated even more the trust. It created an earthquake which would … leave marks in the longer term on the trust in democracy.”

Many feel Romanian authorities have not sufficiently explained what happened last year, which has left voters to wonder "whether this will be the final election,” Parvu added.

Complicating Lasconi's chances in the rerun, her Save Romania Union party, or USR, withdrew its support for her last week in favor of incumbent Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, claiming he has a stronger chance of winning the presidency. Lasconi labeled colleagues who moved against her as “coup plotters."

She said it adds to the chaos in the wake of last year’s election debacle, which has already left many Romanians disillusioned. “None of the state institutions have assured us that we’ll have fair elections,” she said. “People said in the streets, ‘our votes don’t count’.”

Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, says there is an “underlying social discontent that could explode again” unless political parties and candidates start to "speak to all segments of society.”

“The underlying issue in Romania is the widespread public dissatisfaction with the political class," he said. "It’s important to keep reminding the public of what happened: that we were facing a campaign that attempted to hijack Romania’s democracy using unorthodox and illegal means.”

Georgescu’s stunning rise — from polling in single digits to leading the first round — shocked many observers. The Russia-friendly candidate, who has praised fascist figures from Romania’s past, not only unnerved Brussels but raised urgent questions about foreign interference in European elections.

Like other EU countries, the far-right vote in recent years has grown in Romania, fueled by widespread anti-establishment sentiment. After Georgescu was barred from the redo, Romania’s far-right, which holds about a third of legislative seats, scrambled to find a successor.

Up stepped George Simion, the leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, who came fourth in last year’s race and later backed Georgescu. The second biggest party in the legislature, AUR, proclaims to stand for “family, nation, faith, and freedom.”

Simion has drawn criticism in the past due to anti-EU rhetoric and remarks against continued aid to Ukraine, a neighboring country, which like Moldova, he is banned from entering over security concerns.

Romania’s decision to annul the election, and the ban on Georgescu’s candidacy, has been strongly criticized by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk and Moscow — which publicly supported his candidacy in the rerun.

“Geopolitically, we are in a very complicated situation,” Lasconi warned.

Eleven candidates are participating in the first round, which is scheduled for May 4. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the ballots, a runoff will be held on May 18.

Other key candidates include Dan, the Bucharest mayor running independently under the campaign slogan “Honest Romania,” and Crin Antonescu, who is backed by Romania’s governing coalition and is running on a “Romania forward” platform.

Victor Ponta, a former prime minister between 2012 and 2015 who resigned after a fatal nightclub fire, is running on a MAGA-style “Romania First” ticket and boasts of having close ties to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

After last year's events, data from local surveys should be taken with caution, given concerns about politicization. Still, a median of polls suggests a runoff could pit the far-right Simion against either Dan, Ponta, or Antonescu.

A Simion presidency could threaten EU unity as the war rages on in neighboring Ukraine. This is compounded by Trump's attempts to forge closer ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he seeks an end to the war in Ukraine.

In the wake of the annulled election, the role social media allegedly played in Georgescu’s success came under intense scrutiny when declassified Romanian intelligence pointed to coordinated foreign interference via the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform TikTok.

The case highlighted the threat large social media platforms can pose to liberal democracies, and the EU Commission responded by launching an ongoing probe into TikTok to determine whether it violated the EU’s Digital Services Act in failing to deal with risks to Romania's election.

TikTok said it dismantled covert influence networks targeting Romanians in December, including over 27,000 accounts, which posted comments en masse via a “fake engagement vendor” promoting the AUR party and Georgescu, "in an attempt to manipulate Romanian elections discourse." It also removed more than 1,100 accounts impersonating presidential candidates.

TikTok stated it has taken steps to protect Romania’s election integrity, including expanding its team of Romanian-speaking content moderators, working with a local fact-checking group to combat disinformation, and in-app tools linking to official election information.

The concerns over social media, however, have led to what some critics view as undemocratic overreach by Romania’s Central Election Bureau ahead of the new vote. The bureau has drawn recent criticism for requesting takedowns of online political comments by private citizens.

The political turbulence sparked large street protests and has left many voters uncertain and divided.

“Society is a bit divided, it’s fragmented in a way as a reaction,” said Octavian Frecea, a voter in Bucharest. “Only an isolated society isn’t influenced from the outside … We are economically and politically dependent on everyone.”

As Romania heads into one of its most critical elections since 1989, the stakes go beyond who wins the next five-year presidency and may be viewed as a referendum on democracy.

“We’ve been divided for over 35 years,” Lasconi said. “Now Romania isn’t just split in two — Romania is shattered into many pieces.”

FILE- A riot policeman attempts to extinguish a fire as supporters of Calin Georgescu protested the electoral body's decision to reject his candidacy in a presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

Women walk by posters of Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest and presidential candidate in the upcoming May elections in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A man and a dog pass by posters of Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest and presidential candidate in the upcoming May elections in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A woman walks by posters of Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest and presidential candidate in the upcoming May elections in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

FILE - Crin Antonescu, presidential candidate for the ruling coalition, made of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), waves after registering his bid with the electoral authority in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

Young people kiss, wrapped in the European Union flag, at a pro-European rally, joined by thousands, to counter what the organizers described as a "wave of sovereignism and ultranationalism" in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

FILE - Victor Ponta, independent candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, wearing a cap that reads "Romania First" waves to supporters upon arriving to register his bid with the country's electoral authority in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

The word "Fight" is written on a board below posters of Elena Lasconi, presidential candidate for the Save Romania Union party, or USR, before it withdrew its support for her last week in favor of incumbent Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, at a party headquarter in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Elena Lasconi, presidential candidate for the Save Romania Union party, or USR, before it withdrew its support for her last week in favor of incumbent Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Elena Lasconi, presidential candidate for the Save Romania Union party, or USR, before it withdrew its support for her last week in favor of incumbent Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

FILE - George Simion, the leader of Romania's most popular far-right party, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), walks with former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, right, in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, March 14, 2025, after filing his candidacy to participate in the country's presidential election rerun in May. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

FILE - Supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election, annulled by the Constitutional Court, march past a large banner showing U.S. President Donald Trump that reads "Republicans for Freedom" during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)

FILE - People shine lights behind coloured papers attempting to make a heart shape during a pro-European rally, joined by thousands, to counter what the organizers described as a "wave of sovereignism and ultranationalism", outside the government headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)

FILE - A woman holds a portrait of Calin Georgescu during a protest after Romania's Constitutional Court upheld a ban on his candidacy in the presidential election rerun, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda. File)

FILE - A woman screams holding a cross in front of riot policemen blocking a street following clashes with supporters of Calin Georgescu after Romania's electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)

People walk by a poster of Crin Antonescu, the presidential candidate backed by Romania's governing coalition candidate in the upcoming May elections in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A child walks by a poster of Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest and presidential candidate in the upcoming May elections in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

阿聯拉斯海瑪--(BUSINESS WIRE)--五月 15, 2025--

(美國商業資訊)-- 國際信用評等機構Fitch重申對拉斯海瑪的「A+」信用評等（展望穩定），印證了該酋長國推動永續跨領域成長的策略路徑及強勁的經濟和投資環境。

本新聞稿包含多媒體資訊。完整新聞稿請見此： https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250515962664/zh-HK/

拉斯海瑪政府對該公告表示歡迎，認為這是對該酋長國強勁且不斷發展的經濟、穩健的財政管理，以及其領導層對永續長期發展與成長的清晰願景和堅定承諾的肯定。

Fitch指出，酋長國代表性的旅遊專案（包括大型綜合度假村、豪華酒店和世界一流休閒設施）與房地產收入激增形成綜效，正為投資人創造商機，進一步帶動投資並強化酋長國的經濟抗風險能力。

拉斯海瑪政府發言人表示：「穩定的『A+』評等源于我們嚴謹的經濟策略、雄心勃勃的投資計畫以及對建構永續多元化經濟的長期承諾。近年來酋長國實現顯著成長，已成為極具吸引力的全球投資和旅遊中心，同時也是居住、工作和旅遊的熱門目的地。」

今年3月，拉斯海瑪成功發行10年期10億美元伊斯蘭債券，同時將公共部門債務總額控制在GDP的11%（Fitch評等主權實體中最低水準之一），2026年可望進一步降至9%。

Fitch預估，拉斯海瑪2024年GDP實際成長率從上一年的3.6%上升至6.7%。拉斯海瑪政府預期這一強勁動力將得以延續，2026年前年均成長率可望保持6.1%。這一成長主要由關鍵策略計畫驅動，特別是投資額達52億美元的Wynn Al Marjan島綜合度假村開發計畫。該度假村計畫於2027年開幕，可望推動經濟進一步擴張。

Fitch還特別強調，拉斯海瑪人均GDP水準高、治理能力強、政治穩定且法治完善，這些核心要素共同構成了該酋長國極具吸引力的投資環境。此次評等確認充分肯定了該酋長國穩健的公共財政、強勁的成長軌跡，以及做為充滿活力且安全穩定的全球商業與投資中心的地位。

*來源： AETOSWire

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PUB: 05/15/2025 09:20 PM/DISC: 05/15/2025 09:21 PM

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拉斯海瑪強勁的經濟和投資環境獲Fitch「A+」信用評等確認且展望穩定（照片：AETOSWire）