Romania’s political atmosphere remains murky around six months after anti-establishment parties blasted the Constitutional Court’s annulling of election results as “destroying democracy.”
The lower Ploiești Court of Appeal overturned this ruling on Thursday, creating what national media described as “unprecedented legal chaos.” Legal experts have insisted this decision will have no effect given that Constitutional Court rulings are final. Dr. Tudorel Toader, a former judge and justice minister, criticised the Ploiești judge who he said had
managed to put his name into public discussion, even if through an inadmissible decision, outside the constitutional legal requirements.
The official reportedly now faces a disciplinary investigation.
Others have stressed that the overturning will not impact upcoming presidential elections, two-round ballots for which are due to be held on May 4th and 18th, though confusion reigns.
The November election was officially annulled due to unconfirmed allegations of Russian
TikTok also this week announced new measures to ‘protect its integrity’ during the upcoming votes, including the creation of a new elections task force made up of “experts in cybersecurity, deceptive practices, misinformation, and election integrity.”
It is also working to ‘educate’ its users to “recognise and avoid misinformation, while empowering them with the tools needed to critically evaluate online content and guiding them towards official”—that is, establishment—“sources.”