The Constitutional Court of Romania clarified the unprecedented decision to restart the presidential elections.

As previously reported, the Constitutional Court of Romania has annulled the results of the first round of the presidential elections. The court also released the reasoning behind its decision to cancel the results of the first round and to conduct a re-vote. According to reports from Digi24, the judges found that the electoral process violated the integrity and equality of the elections.

In a 10-page document, the court noted that based on materials provided by the intelligence services during a session of the Supreme Council of National Defense, numerous violations were identified that affected citizens' freedom of choice and created unequal conditions for candidates.

Among the main issues identified were manipulations of voters through:

• Opaque use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence for campaign purposes;
• Funding from undeclared sources;
• Misinformation in political advertising that was not properly labeled.

The court emphasized that freedom of choice entails access to objective information for voters without unlawful influence. The distortion of equal opportunities arose from the aggressive promotion of one candidate using social media algorithms, which did not comply with national legislation.

“Political advertising can become a vector of misinformation, especially when [...] its political nature is not disclosed, when it comes from sponsors outside the EU, and employs targeting techniques... Intervention by state or non-state actors and their conduct of electoral propaganda or misinformation campaigns must be excluded,” the court stated in its ruling.

The court highlighted the importance of transparent use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in the electoral process, noting that any violations must be identified and punished.

This decision is unprecedented for Romania and indicates the necessity for increased oversight of electoral campaigns to ensure their integrity.

“The use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence by candidates or competitors, political forces, their supporters or backers must be transparent to guarantee the integrity and impartiality of elections. Otherwise, voters are hindered from forming opinions about candidates and choices, and they may be misinformed,” the court remarked, emphasizing that campaign methods should be scrutinized, and violations should lead to accountability.