00:00Romania's Constitutional Court has annulled results of the first round of the presidential
00:06election and cancelled the upcoming runoff in a new ruling on Friday.
00:11The top court cited Russian meddling as the primary driver behind the ruling and declared
00:16a rerun of the entire presidential election process.
00:20Front-runner far-right independent candidate Kalin Djordjescu, who produced a shock win
00:24in the first round with 23 percent of the votes, has condemned the ruling.
00:28He labeled the move a coup and a total breach of democracy, going further in describing
00:33the country's rule of law as one in an induced coma.
00:37His challenger in the runoff, reformist Elena Lascone, also commented on the ruling, calling
00:42it illegal.
00:44She expanded, stating that the court's decision brings Romania back to the dark days of communism.
00:50Incumbent President Claus Ioannis has urged Romanians to respect the court's ruling and
00:54announced he will remain in office until a successor is elected.
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