Europe rights court rejects appeal of Romania vote annulment

Europe's top rights court on Tuesday rejected Romanian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu's appeal against the annulment of the country's 2024 presidential election after he won the first round amid claims of Russian interference.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said it rejected the request by Georgescu for the urgent ruling as "it fell outside of the scope" of the court, which cannot reverse the annulment of the election process.

The previously little-known Georgescu shot to prominence overnight on TikTok, prompting the European Union to launch a probe of the social media platform.

Romania's Constitutional Court cancelled the elections after intelligence documents declassified by the president's office listed "aggressive Russian hybrid actions", including cyberattacks.

Georgescu denounced the annulment by a Romanian court as a "formalised coup d'etat".

He asked the ECHR to issue a so-called interim measure, an urgent ruling issued exceptionally in cases where applicants face an imminent risk of irreparable harm.

"Mr Georgescu's request did not concern an imminent risk of irreparable harm," the court said.

Georgescu said that he was confident his fight in the courts against the vote's annulment would be successful in the end.

In a post on Facebook he wrote that the "final judgment may bring a solution that restores justice and protects the integrity of the electoral process".

The Romanian government has ordered a fresh presidential vote, with a first round to take place on May 4 and a second on May 18 if no first-round candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote.

The declassified documents detailed the massive promotion of Georgescu on social media in the run-up to the vote.

Georgescu -- a past admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a critic of NATO, who has recently reframed himself as "ultra pro-" US President Donald Trump -- has denied any links to Moscow.

bar-sjw-ani-kym/rlp