Romania’s canceled presidential elections because it found itself in “an exceptional situation,” but the invalidation last year was fully democratic, interim President Ilie Bolojan said on Tuesday.
Speaking to an annual meeting of ambassadors and foreign diplomats about a court decision to cancel the election following intelligence reports of foreign interference (later identified as Russia), Mr. Bolojan said: “I want to affirm… that we acted within the constitutional framework, the law and democracy.”
His comments came after U.S. vice president JD Vance last week criticized Romania’s decision to annul elections saying the top court’s ruling was based on “flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors.”
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he called the move unjustified and warned of the broader consequences for democracy in Europe.
The interim president reacted then on X: “Romania’s foreign policy will reassert our primary objectives: ensuring stability, prosperity, and security for Romanian citizens, as well as in our neighborhood and beyond.”
Speaking about the rerun of the flawed election in May, the interim president on Tuesday said the goal was “to work for a free, fair and transparent electoral process,” adding that he will ensure the election.
In his speech, he acknowledged challenges faced last year, including foreign interference and a constitutional court ruling related to the electoral process, which was perceived as a crisis.
“At the end of last year, against the backdrop of external interference, the Constitutional Court made a decision regarding the electoral process. It is clear that this situation generated challenges, and some perceived it as a crisis. It was an exceptional situation, managed with democratic tools. I want to state, with full responsibility, that we are within the constitutional framework, the law, and democracy,” Bolojan said.
Here are excerpts from his speech:
“I am honored to address you in my capacity as interim President of Romania to send you some messages regarding our country and its foreign policy. The first message is one about stability. In the conditions of a difficult year from a financial and budgetary point of view, Romania has a governing coalition that ensures the stability of the country. Responsible management of the budget, maintaining a high level of investments, which will generate economic growth, and increasing the quality of public services are the conditions for good governance,” he said at the meeting at the Cotroceni presidential Palace.
“Strengthening our democracies is a permanent objective, and Romania is no exception,” Bolojan stressed.
“For the presidential elections to be held in May, our goal – of all institutions – is to work for a free, fair and transparent electoral process. From the position…I will ensure the fulfillment of this objective,” he also said.
He also stressed that Romania would “maintain its natural course, as a member of the European Union and NATO, having a Strategic Partnership with the US and being open to cooperation with all partners who share the same values and principles that we support.”
“The main directions of foreign policy remain unchanged….We remain a state that firmly believes in the future of the European Union. We remain pro-Atlantic and a responsible allied state. We are a reliable partner bilaterally and in the international community,” Ilie Bolojan stressed.
JD Vance is wrong. Clear evidence that Russia meddled in Romania’s presidential election
