Defeated Romanian presidential candidate to challenge result

Romania's presidential election has been plunged into further uncertainty after George Simion of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians announced a legal challenge to the result of this weekend's second election. 

Simion, 38, a supporter of U.S. President Donld Trump, won 46.4 percent of the vote in Sunday's run-off poll, losing to the centrist pro-EU Bucharest mayor Nicuşor Dan who swept to victory with 53.6 percent. 

Simion, who opposes military aid to Ukraine and wants to restore Romania to its 1940 borders by taking back territories in both Moldova and Ukraine, says he has "irrefutable evidence of meddling by France along with Moldova and other actors."

Second election

The election was the second attempt at a presidential vote in Romania, after November's result, was annulled by the country's top court. The move plunged the EU and NATO member state of 11 million into a constitutional crisis.

Lawmakers followed up their decision by ruling in December that the populist candidate Călin Georgescu had violated electoral rules and that his campaign had suffered from foreign interference and barring him from a re-run.

In a post on social media Simion gave his reason for the challenge. He said: "For the very reasons December elections were annulled: EXTERNAL INTERFERENCES by state and non-state actors" and describing an "orchestrated effort to impose a result that does not reflect the will of the Romanian people."

His own campaign had been boosted by supporters of Georgescu. The pair had appeared together at rallies ahead of the weekend's poll. Simion also received strong support from Romania's sizable diaspora across the EU, with over 65 percent of Romanians living in Germany, Spain and Italy voting for the AUR.

Ukraine's "reliable partner"

The presidents of Moldova and Ukraine, where the AUR leader is subject to a travel ban, have welcomed the second election result. 

Moldova's Maia Sandu said:"Moldova and Romania stand together, supporting one another and working side by side for a peaceful, democratic, and European future for all our citizens." Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy added it was "important to have Romania as a reliable partner."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Romanians had "chosen the promise of an open, prosperous Romania in a strong Europe."

Simion however, who claims that $113 million was used to buy the votes of Romanians with Moldovan citizenship, has vowed to fight on, saying he will use all "legal, domestic, and international means."