Massive rally in Bucharest protests annulment of presidential election

A massive rally was held in Romania’s capital city of Bucharest in protest against the Supreme Court’s December decision annulling presidential elections, local media reported.

The rally organised by the Alliance for the Unions of Romanians (AUR) party was attended by tens of thousands of people, overwhelmingly supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of the elections’ first round held on November 24, 2024, according to broadcaster Antenna 3 CNN on Sunday.

"We clarify that the demonstration belongs to the Romanian people, with the AUR only offering the platform for those who want to express their dissatisfaction with the cancellation of the presidential elections and who demand the resumption of the electoral process, starting with the second round," the party announced in a statement.

On December 6, 2024, Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the presidential run-off scheduled for December 8, and the results of the first round of the November 24 election.

The court’s decision came after the Supreme Council of National Defense declassified secret service documents that showed interference by a "state actor" in the electoral process in the country.

Calin Georgescu, known for Eurosceptic and far-right views, came first in the first round of the election by winning some 23 percent of votes.