On Sunday, tens of thousands of people marched in the capital of Romania, Bucharest, demanding the holding of the second round of presidential elections. The Constitutional Court declared the election invalid when pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu won the first round on November 24 last year.
– We protest against the December 6 coup and demand a return to democracy by resuming the elections from the second round, said the leader of the Romanian Unity Union (AUR) party, which organized the protest, Giorgi Siion. – The protests will continue until all our demands are met, he said, the number of participants was estimated at 20 thousand people, but according to the organizers, 100 thousand people could participate in the march.
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Protests in Romania before the re-election of the president.RTRS
Protest in Romania. “We want to see the evidence.”
Participants of Sunday’s show “Freedom!” they gave a slogan. and “Bring back the second round!” Some protesters carried portraits of Georgian or Orthodox icons, while street vendors sold flags and vuvuzelas.
– Our election law was violated, said truck driver Bogdan Danila, 43 years old. – Iohannis was in power for 10 years and did nothing for the people, and the parties betrayed us, they are all corrupt. We want something else, he added.
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“The authorities should say why they canceled the election, we want to see the evidence,” said Cornelia, a 57-year-old economist with a Romanian flag who declined to give her last name. “They are putting a leader on us like in the old days,” he said.
He has extreme views and is a supporter of Putin. Calin Georgescu won the first round of the Romanian presidential election Katarzyna Slavinska/Fact TVN
It is not yet clear whether Georgescu, who opposes Romania’s support for Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression, can run for president again.
The court declared the presidential election invalid
On December 6, in a move that seemed to unify the electorate, Romania’s Constitutional Court declared the presidential election invalid two days before the second round and ordered the entire election process to be repeated. He based the decision on documents showing that the campaign of Georgescu, a politician previously unknown to the general public, was the result of a ruse that could have been organized or supported from abroad. The court ordered a complete rerun of the election.
The pro-European government coalition has not yet approved the election calendar, but party leaders have agreed to hold two rounds of elections on May 4 and 18. Iohannis, whose term of office expired on December 21, will remain in office until his successor is elected.
Main photo source: RTRS
