The Romanian court accepted the results of the first round presidential election Court Affairs

Right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu will face center-right Elena Lasconi on December 8.

Romania’s Constitutional Court has upheld the shocking first-round result of its presidential election, setting the stage for another vote on December 8, which could upset the country’s pro-Western stance and erode support for Ukraine.

Monday’s decision removes the uncertainty that has gripped the nation since the court called for a recount last week.

It also confirmed the November 24 victory of longtime and unknown candidate Calin Georgescu, which raised suspicions of foreign meddling in the election process of the country that has been a neighbor of Ukraine as it battles Russian aggression.

“The judges unanimously decided to… confirm and confirm the result of the first presidential round on November 24 and the second round held on December 8,” said chief justice Marian Enache.

Georgescu will now face centre-right rival Elena Lasconi in a run-off for the European Union and NATO member state.

Last day, Romania held parliamentary elections, the ruling left-wing Social Democrat Party (PSD) led but the far-right parties got a third of the seats in the new legislature.

The result of Sunday’s parliamentary election, the second of three votes scheduled over as many weeks, sets the stage for what is likely to be a period of talks between the mainstream parties over the formation of a governing majority, with the PSD central in the talks. .

PSD leader and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told the media that the party has not yet endorsed a candidate for the presidential election.

He said: “The Romanian people must decide for themselves.

“PSD will need to be a bridge between EU-funded development and EU and NATO membership and…

With 99.98 percent of the votes counted in the parliamentary vote, the PSD won with 22.3 percent, ahead of the strong Alliance for the Integration of Romanians with 18.3 percent.

Lasconi’s opposition party, the Save Romania Union (USR), had 12.25 percent, while the governing coalition, the Liberals, had 14.3 percent. The two right-wing parties, SOS and POT, had 7.75 percent and 6.4 percent respectively, while the Hungarian UDMR Party was at 6.38 percent.

Liberal leader Ilie Bolojan said the party is willing to participate in a pro-Western coalition.

“If the president speaks well, it will be difficult for Europeans to organize and oppose in parliament because they will have an incredibly difficult 2025,” political scientist Cristian Pirvulescu told Reuters news agency.

Who will form the government will ultimately depend on who wins the presidential race, since the president appoints the prime minister.

A survey conducted by CURS on December 1 in polling stations showed that Georgescu could win with 57.8 percent to Lasconi’s 42.2 percent. The study surveyed 24,629 people.

“Yesterday’s election shows that the number of Lasconi voters is very small. The number of voters for Georgescu can be very large,” said Pirvulescu.

“PSD voters are very similar to the candidate, whose image is important in winning the election.”

Georgescu – who has relied heavily on social media, particularly TikTok, to reach voters – has taken a soft tone towards Russia and criticized the deployment of NATO missiles in Romania, which borders Ukraine.

Philipp Lausberg, a senior policy analyst at the European Policy Center, a Belgium-based think tank, told Al Jazeera last week that Georgescu had won the anti-establishment vote.

“Many are tired of the current system of the party. Others don’t feel they should,” said Lausberg.