Thousands protesting in Romania demanding presidential election runoff

Members and supporters of the opposition party "Alliance for the Union of Romanians" (AUR) have held a big rally protesting the cancellation of the second round of the presidential election in the center of Bucharest, Romania.

Opposition politicians are livestreaming from University Square on social media, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Local TV channels report that around 2,500 people have gathered at University Square, with the number of protesters continuing to rise.

AUR leader George Simion told the media that the demonstrators plan to march to Victoria Square and stay there until 11:00 p.m. (GMT+2). 

He added that the turnout is expected to exceed 50,000 people.

"Our main demand is the holding of the second round of the presidential election and the resignation of Klaus Iohannis [the current president]," said the politician. 

In late November, Calin Georgescu won the first round of Romania’s presidential election. Romanian media have labeled him as a pro-Russian figure. Contrary to all predictions, he emerged as the leading candidate with 22.94 per cent of the vote. In second place was Elena Lasconi, leader of the opposition party "Save Romania Union" who advocates for NATO and US partnerships, receiving 19.18 per centof the vote. Since neither candidate secured more than 50 per cent of the vote, a second round was initially planned, featuring Georgeșcu and Lasconi.

Polling stations were set to open on December 8, 2024. However, on December 6, Romania's Constitutional Court, following an urgent meeting, decided to annul the results of the first round of the presidential election. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stated that the election was canceled due to allegations that Georgescu's campaign had received support from a foreign state. This information was later confirmed by the Constitutional Court.

By Naila Huseynova