Populist Calin Georgescu won Romania’s first election round, but a court annulled the results after declassified intel alleged Russian-backed TikTok promotion. Independent candidate for presidency Calin Georgescu speaks after an interview with The Associated Press in Izvorani, Romania, on Dec. 4, 2024. Independent candidate for presidency Calin Georgescu speaks after an interview with The Associated Press in Izvorani, Romania, on Dec. 4, 2024.

A Romanian man who was extradited back to the UK after being charged with two counts of rape has been jailed. Stefan Paladuta attacked the woman, who at the time was in her late teens, at his then-home in Reading in June 2017. Paladuta returned to his native Romania before any charges were laid, but was extradited back to the UK to stand trial. The 29-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of rape during a hearing at Reading Crown Court earlier this month and later sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in...

Pro-Russian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu is in the lead ahead of Romania’s elections scheduled for May, a poll showed, after his surprise win of the now canceled previous ballot threw the country into political crisis last year. Georgescu would win 38% of the votes if elections were held next Sunday, followed by the joint candidate of the current ruling coalition, Crin Antonescu , at 25%, according to the survey by the Avangarde polling company. The poll was carried out between Jan. 10 and Jan. 16, with a margin of error...

Romanians took to the streets on Friday in support of fringe pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu, demanding the country’s top court reverse its decision to cancel a presidential ballot in which he was a frontrunner. After Romanian security officials raised suspicions about potential foreign meddling and illegal funding for Georgescu’s campaign, its constitutional court annulled the December vote, ordering a repeat of the entire process.

Calin Georgescu, a candidate not affiliated with any party and prominent critic of Romania's pro-NATO and pro-Ukraine policy, has taken the lead in the presidential election and is projected to enter the presidential run-off vote after the first round on November 24. Georgescu, 62, is ahead in the polls with 22.95 percent of the vote, compared to Elena-Valerica Lasconi, with 19.17 percent of the vote, and Ion-Marcel Ciolacu, with 19.15 percent of the vote, with 99 percent of the votes counted. The second round of the Romanian presidential election is...

Special Counsel David Weiss's office revealed Wednesday that first son Hunter Biden allegedly received "compensation" from a Romanian businessman who was hoping to influence United States policy. Weiss' team said they plan to introduce evidence proving the allegation in Biden's federal tax case next month. The office revealed the information about the unnamed businessman in a filing that urged the court to reject Biden’s request to omit certain evidence that he believes is prejudicial against him.