Romania sets May date for new presidential election | Elections News

The first round will take place on May 4, with a second on May 18 if no first-round candidate wins more than 50 percent.

Romania’s coalition government has announced that it will hold a new presidential election in May, after the shock annulment of the December vote amid claims of Russian interference.

A cabinet meeting on Thursday approved the ruling party’s proposal to have a fresh presidential vote.

The first round will take place on May 4, with a second on May 18 if no first-round candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote.

The European Union and NATO state, which borders Ukraine, was plunged into institutional chaos last year when Calin Georgescu, a little-known far-right pro-Russian politician, won the first presidential round on November 24.

Officials in Romania said Georgescu benefitted from a massive social media campaign spearheaded by TikTok, which gave him preferential treatment, accusations the platform has denied.

Amid suspicions of Russian interference – denied by Moscow – Romania’s top court annulled the ballot and ordered the government to rerun it in its entirety.

The European Commission last month also opened formal proceedings against TikTok over its suspected failure to limit election interference, notably in the Romanian vote.

Georgescu has denounced the vote annulment as a “formalised coup d’etat”.

Tens of thousands of Romanians took to the streets on Sunday in Bucharest in the second protest last week against the cancellation of the original vote. The far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party had called the protest.

They demanded the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis, a liberal who has remained in office until his successor is elected.

On Thursday, the government, headed by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, issued a decree saying campaign materials ahead of the next presidential vote will need to be clearly marked as election content and their sponsors identified.

Social media platforms will also be required to take down content that does not follow the rules within five hours of a request from Romanian election officials or risk fines of between 1 percent and 5 percent of their turnover.

Romanian rights groups have, however, criticised the government for failing to consult the public before issuing the decree, warning the new rules did not address real campaign financing issues.