Romania's Constitutional Court orders recount of 1st round of presidential vote

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Romania's Constitutional Court has ordered a recount of the first round of the presidential vote, local media reported on Thursday.

The decision came at the official request of National Conservative Party leader Christian Terhes, who claimed that in several sections there were corrections to the number of votes for presidential candidate Ludovic Orban, broadcaster Antenna3 said.

The court also decided to postpone both a decision on certifying the result of the elections' first round as well as a decision on a request to annul the result of the elections, the broadcaster added.

In an unexpected result, ultranationalist candidate Calin Georgescu won the first round of Romania’s presidential election held on Sunday.

Voters were choosing between 13 candidates to replace outgoing President Klaus Iohannis.​​​​​​​

The top two candidates are set to complete in a runoff on Dec. 8, about a week-and-a-half from now.