Romanian court orders recount of the 1st round of the presidential vote, won by a far-right outsider

Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A top Romanian court has asked the official electoral authority to recount and verify all of the ballots cast in the first round of the presidential election. The Constitutional Court in Bucharest voted unanimously in favor of the recount, and said the decision is final. The Central Election Bureau is scheduled to meet on Thursday afternoon to discuss the request. Calin Georgescu, a little-known, far-right populist, won the first round in the election, beating the incumbent prime minister and sending shockwaves through Romania’s political establishment. Georgescu, who has praised Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin, was due to face reformist Elena Lasconi in a Dec. 8. runoff.