Sawt Falasteen - Far-right backers demand to vote after Romania election scrapped

Georgescu unexpectedly topped the first round of voting for the presidency on November 24, sparking alarm in the NATO and EU member that borders Ukraine.

But his path to possible triumph was barred when the constitutional court on Friday annulled the electoral process by ruling it was "marred... by multiple irregularities and violations of electoral legislation".

The annulment followed a spate of intelligence documents declassified by the presidency this week detailing allegations against Georgescu and Russia, including claims of "massive" social media promotion and cyberattacks.

Following a call by Georgescu, more than 100 people gathered at a polling station near Bucharest on Sunday -- the originally scheduled date of the run-off vote -- shouting "Down with dictatorship", "We want to vote" and "Thieves".

"I am here for democracy, because in my opinion it no longer exists," Adriana Iercau, a 60-year-old teacher, told AFP.

Georgescu accused the authorities of cancelling the elections for fear he would win, saying he came to the closed polling station "in the name of democracy".

AUR leader George Simion went to a polling station in Bucharest later Sunday, together with about two dozen supporters, some holding candles and printed signboards that read "Stop the dictatorship".

"We are here today to light this candle for democracy in Romania, to say that the Romanian people is sovereign and to oppose a dictatorship," Simion told reporters.

Georgescu's team on Saturday had called for people to gather at polling stations. Local media reported dozens gathered mainly at several Romanian embassies elsewhere in Europe.

- 'Crimes of voter corruption' -

On Saturday, police raided three houses in Brasov city in central Romania as part of the investigation "in connection with crimes of voter corruption, money laundering, computer forgery".

Among the houses searched was that of businessman Bogdan Peschir, a TikTok user who according to the declassified documents allegedly paid $381,000 to those involved in the promotion of Georgescu.

Georgescu on Sunday said he did not know Peschir, who has compared his support for the 62-year-old former civil servant to the world's richest man Elon Musk's backing of US President-elect Donald Trump.

Romania's authorities allege "preferential treatment" of Georgescu on TikTok -- a claim the social media platform has denied.

In the declassified documents they also said Romania was a "target for aggressive Russian hybrid actions", including cyberattacks.

Georgescu -- a past admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin who most recently has reframed himself as "ultra pro-Trump" -- told broadcaster Sky News on Saturday that there were no links between him and Russia.

Following the vote cancellation -- rare in Europe -- the United States said it had faith in Romania's institutions, while Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., slammed it as "denying the will of the people".

A new government -- to be formed after the ruling Social Democrats won last weekend's legislative elections -- is expected to set a fresh date for the presidential vote.

In the parliamentary election, far-right parties secured an unprecedented third of the ballots on mounting anger over soaring inflation and fears over Russia's war in Ukraine.

H.Jarrar--SF-PST