Defeated Romanian ultranationalist ‘will ask court to annul election’

Foreign interference appears to have influenced both Romania’s recent elections, with ultranationalist candidate George Simion calling on the top court to invalidate the vote, citing the same reasons as last year's annulled election. Simion lost to liberal mayor Nicușor Dan, who secured 53.6% of the vote against his 46.4%. The original ballot was canceled due to campaign finance discrepancies and suspected Russian influence. Simion, a Trump supporter, accused vote buying, social media manipulation, and foreign meddling by France, Moldova, and Russia. Despite his low chances of winning, he vowed to instill fear among Romansians to deter him from seeking power.