Romania's SC upholds cancellation of 2024 presidential poll

Romania's High Court of Cassation and Justice, the supreme court, rejected on Friday the lawsuit filed by Calin Georgescu challenging the cancellation of the 2024 presidential election.

The court upheld an earlier decision by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, which had dismissed Georgescu's case on Dec. 31, 2024.

Georgescu, along with the Coalition for the Defense of the Rule of Law, sued the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), the Constitutional Court and several state institutions, seeking to annul the BEC decisions calling for a rerun of the election. These decisions were based on the Constitutional Court's ruling to nullify the first round of the 2024 presidential election.

Georgescu argued that no evidence justified the annulment and sought to proceed with the second electoral round. In the first round of Romania's election on Nov. 24, 2024, Georgescu and Elena Lasconi, leader of the Save Romania Union, advanced to the runoff.

The High Court dismissed Georgescu's appeal as groundless, also rejecting a request for intervention by other supporting organizations.

The Constitutional Court's decision on Dec. 6 to nullify the election results cited declassified intelligence reports. These reports revealed illegal campaign financing, alleging that Georgescu declared no campaign expenses while receiving 1 million euros (1.03 million U.S. dollars). The reports also highlighted cyberattacks aimed at influencing Romania's electoral process.

After the Bucharest Court of Appeal's rejection, Georgescu appealed both nationally and to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).