ADDS REMARKS BY PRESIDENT, WINNING CANDIDATE
By Ahmet Gencturk
ATHENS (AA) – Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the presidential run-off scheduled for Dec. 8, and the results of the 1st round of the Nov. 24 election, local media reported on Friday.
The electoral process will be resumed in its entirety, with the government setting a new date for the election of the president, said the court in a statement.
Citing the sources in the court, broadcaster Antena3 reported that the decision came after new evidence showed that the presidential election on Nov. 24 was flawed.
Commenting on the decision, President Klaus Iohannis said, "We are dealing with a matter of national security."
Claiming that ultra-nationalist Calin Georgescu candidate was supported by a foreign state, he said evidence collected and eventually submitted to him by the competent security and intelligence services proved it.
Also commenting on the matter, Georgescu called it "an officialized coup d'etat."
Rejecting the accusations, he said, "Basically, on this day, the corrupt system showed its true face, it made a pact with the devil."
Georgescu added that he would appeal the decision at the High Court of Cassation and Justice.
The decision came after the Supreme Council of National Defense on Wednesday declassified secret service documents that showed interference by a "state actor" in the electoral process in Romania.
The documents also revealed the network behind ultra-nationalist independent candidate Calin Georgescu, the broadcaster added.