Authorities shelved the contest after intelligence reports alleged interference – leaving a deeply divided electorate facing an uncertain future. CGTN’s Pablo Gutierrez reports from Bucharest.
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00:00Many voters in Romania say they are stunned. Instead of casting their ballots, they are now facing political uncertainty.
00:09They tried to rig the elections, right?
00:11You feel like this election was stolen?
00:14Yes, and all the other people, from all the political parties.
00:18The decision to annul the first round of the election comes after weeks of turmoil.
00:23Pro-Russian candidate Kalin Georgescu won the first round, gaining an advantage from what Romanian authorities labeled a controversial TikTok campaign.
00:33A court order recount soon followed.
00:36Then, just 48 hours before the runoff, declassified documents revealed irregularities in Georgescu's campaign finance and allegations of foreign influence by Russia, which Moscow denies.
00:49The constitutional court underlined there are clear signs of illegality.
00:55Firstly, the financial money.
01:00Secondly, the TikTok campaign clearly directed by people from Russia Federation.
01:06If one step in a democratic process proved to be illegal, you cannot go farther to the second step.
01:16In response to the claims, TikTok stated it's cooperating with Romanian and European authorities.
01:22The platform said, over the last few weeks, we proactively identified and disrupted several covert influence networks, prevented and removed tens of thousands of fake accounts and engagements, and banned hundreds of accounts impersonating presidential candidates.
01:38After the court annulled the election, prosecutors raided groups they say provided funds for Georgescu's TikTok campaign.
01:48Authorities say they have uncovered financial irregularities and crypto transactions worth millions of dollars.
01:55Analysts say the controversy has further eroded trust in Romania's political system and deepened divisions.
02:04With the election annulled, Romanians will likely return to the polls next year, but the road ahead looks difficult.
02:10It's going to become one of the key division lines in the Romanian society for the medium term, I suspect.
02:18But there's also a significant part of the population, at least a quarter of the population, who supported Georgescu and some of the parties that are around Georgescu.
02:28And now they basically see that the institutions of the state, the state itself, has taken away their votes.
02:34For many Romanians, the crisis is a setback in their push for stronger ties with the European Union.
02:41And it is a test for democracy. Democracy is tested.
02:46Georgescu denies any wrongdoing and arrived at a closed polling station on Sunday with supporters vowing to continue his campaign.
02:55Meanwhile, Romania's institutions face immense pressure as they try to restore trust in their democracy.
03:02Pablo Guterres, CGTN, Bucharest, Romania.