In Romania, new protests due to the canceled presidential elections

Thousands of people gathered in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, on January 12 to protest the annulment of December's presidential election, in which right-wing, pro-Russian candidate Kalin Djordescu won the first round.

Protests in Romania have been ongoing since December 6, when the Constitutional Court annulled the election two days before the second round due to allegations of Russian interference.

On January 12, demonstrators waved Romanian flags and carried Christian icons, as well as banners reading "Democracy", "Freedom" and "Give us back the second round", demanding the court to overturn its decision.

They also called for the resignation of outgoing President Klaus Iohannis, whose term ended on December 21 but remains as head of state until his successor is chosen.

Although the rally, which blocked traffic, was peaceful, police said they arrested three people for "possession of knives and other prohibited items."

Djordescu, who is critical of NATO and opposes Romania's support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion, was a little-known figure in Romania until he unexpectedly won the first round of presidential elections on November 24 with about 22 percent of the vote.

Đorđescu, who is 62, was set to face pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi in the second round, which was seen as a referendum on the future course of Romania, a member of NATO and the European Union.

The Constitutional Court's decision to annul the election and order new elections came after state documents showed that Djordjescu, who was running as an independent candidate, benefited from a fraudulent social media campaign likely orchestrated by Russia. Moscow denies interference in the elections.

Gjorgeescu's lawyers filed a request on January 10th with the Constitutional Court to review its decision and reinstate the election result.

A similar request was submitted on the same day by Gheorđi Simion, the leader of the far-right pro-Russian party AUR, together with parliamentarians from AUR. The party announced plans to organize new protests.

Ahead of the Jan. 12 rally, Simion told reporters that protesters were demanding "free elections with the continuation of the second round and respect for democracy."

Pro-European parties in Romania reached an agreement late last year to form a coalition government without the far right after parliamentary elections on December 1. The new government was sworn in on December 23.

New presidential elections are scheduled for May 4, with a possible runoff scheduled for May 18, but it remains unclear whether Djordješku will be allowed to run for president again.