Sebastian Popescu, the presidential candidate from the "Noua Românie" Party, and Cristian Terheș, backed by the Romanian National Conservative Party, have both submitted requests to the Constitutional Court (CCR) to annul the first round of the presidential elections.

A far-right, pro-Putin candidate just secured the most votes in the first round of Romania’s presidential election. It means the populist Călin Georgescu is in with a chance of becoming the new president of the eastern European country – and Romania’s support for Ukraine could therefore be in jeopardy.

“Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian candidate who admires Putin and undermines Ukraine’s legitimacy, would be a dangerous choice for Romania especially with war at our borders,” said Siegfried Muresan, a centre-right member of the European parliament.

Hard-right Călin Georgescu comes from nowhere to snatch victory as liberal Elena Lasconi claims second place ahead of seismic Dec. 8 runoff.

Călin Georgescu, who is likely to emerge as the surprise winner of the first round in Romania’s presidential elections, is an environmental expert and politician with strong nationalistic views. Born on March 26,

A hard-right critic of NATO who has praised Russia is set to face a centre-right opposition leader in a presidential election run-off in Romania that could undermine its pro-Western stance after a shock outcome in the first-round vote.

Calin Georgescu, a prominent critic of NATO and Romania's support for Ukraine, has taken the lead in the presidential election.

The pro-Russian nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu had racked up a definitive 350,000 vote lead in an upset in Romania's presidential election as counting in the first round wound to a finish Monday.