The Constitutional Court validated the first round of the presidential elections on Monday, announced the institution’s president, Marian Enache, who stressed that the second round of the presidential elections will take place on December 8, between Călin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi.
In a press statement, the President of the Constitutional Court announced that the Court unanimously decided to reject the appeal of Cristian Teheș and that the Constitutional Court unanimously decided to confirm and validate the result of the first round of the presidential elections. The second round of voting, between Călin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi, will be on December 8.
“The Court noted that the votes from the diaspora were not contested and as a result found that their recount is no longer required. (…) Even if some differences between candidates were found, but they do not result as having come from fraud likely to modify the result, they are considered only possible material errors in the counting of the votes cast, without relevance in establishing the results”, said the President of the CCR, Judge Marian Enache.
His clarification comes after the Central Electoral Bureau sent the CCR the situation regarding the recount of votes for the first round of the presidential elections, but without approximately 640,000 votes from the diaspora.
Last Thursday, the CCR requested the BEC to recount the validly cast and the invalid votes, after examining the request for the annulment of the elections for the position of President of Romania on November 24, formulated by the candidate of the Romanian National Conservative Party Cristian Vasile Terheş. Terheș claimed that several votes were moved from Ludovic Orban, who withdrew from the race, to USR candidate Elena Lasconi, who entered the second round together with Călin Georgescu.
However, in the polling stations he reported in his appeal, there was no fraud, but errors rectified in the final minutes, and the conclusion was that Elena Lasconi was left with the same number of votes.
The head of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Toni Greblă, said on Digi24 on Monday that there were no significant differences after the recount of votes from the presidential elections, the first round. Last week, he explained that, in the event that the CCR decides to cancel the first round of the presidential elections, Romanians will be called to the polls again, for the first round of the elections, on December 15, with the second round to be organized on December 29.
Elena Lasconi stated after the CCR decision: “Thank you to those involved in respecting the law and the Constitution. Thank you for not playing Russian roulette with democracy in Romania and the right to vote freely. God will help us this time too to remain united and keep Russia away. I tell all political leaders in Romania not to deviate the course of our country. I had discussions with several leaders, tomorrow I hope to discuss with PSD, but I draw Mr. Ciolacu’s attention that at this critical moment we do not need a binder, but a statesman who will assume Romania’s democratic path.”
In retort, PSD leader and PM Marcel Ciolacu said he would not have any recommendations for the party’s voters how to vote in the presidential runoff.
“I am glad that it is clear that I was in good faith from the beginning. We are in a very difficult moment for both PSD and Romania. Asked why he does not clearly state who PSD supports in the second round of the presidential elections: I remind you that PSD made an appeal for Romanians to vote for Ciucă. Their own voters at the local elections did not vote for me or for Mr. Ciucă. This should answer certain questions for us. I think Romanians have given a yellow card to the entire political class and they know better what to do than what Ciolacu is telling them. Romanians must decide for themselves what is best for them. I understood the Romanians’ answer and I respect it,” said Ciolacu.
According to Digi24 sources, in the meeting of the National Political Council of the Social Democratic Party, which met on Monday, at 6:00 p.m., there were two camps.
On the one hand, there is the camp that argued that there must be a pro-European message for Elena Lasconi, despite the attacks in the public space. Among them are Claudiu Manda, Alfred Simonis, Victor Negrescu and Sorin Grindeanu. They took a position against the messages of Călin Georgescu.
On the other hand, Mihai Tudose, Victor Ponta, Paul Stănescu, among others, said that there should be no clear positioning, because there are members of the PSD who would support Călin Georgescu.
UDMR will support Elena Lasconi
UDMR President Kelemen Hunor said on Monday that his party and the Hungarian community have never supported any candidate with an anti-Hungarian, extremist attitude, or who was associated with anti-Hungarian parties, and will not support anyone who is associated with fascist or legionary ideologies. He also said he would support Elena Lasconi in the second round of Sunday’s presidential election.
“UDMR will be ready to contribute to Romania’s development, to correct the things that went wrong, and we will be ready to discuss with those who want the country’s good,” the UDMR president said after the CCR’s decision.
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Now, the thriller will be… how much higher than 60% Calin will get !!!