(MENAFN) Romania's Constitutional Court has dismissed a legal challenge lodged by presidential hopeful George Simion, who had accused outside forces of manipulating the recent elections.

The court determined on Thursday that Simion’s assertions of foreign involvement were “unfounded.”

This decision comes after the same judicial body had previously invalidated the initial round of voting, citing “irregularities” and reports from intelligence sources regarding potential foreign influence.

On Sunday, Simion, known for his conservative stance and opposition to the European Union, narrowly lost in a second-round vote to Nicusor Dan, the current mayor of Bucharest and a pro-EU figure.

Simion filed an appeal on Tuesday, claiming “external interferences by state and non-state actors,” but the Constitutional Court unanimously dismissed his request.

According to a statement from the court, the decision is irreversible, and a detailed rationale will be made public in the near future.

Following the verdict, Simion—who has pointed fingers at various foreign nations, including France—described the court’s ruling as a “continuation of a coup d’état” and pledged to persist in his political efforts.

In a related context, independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu had unexpectedly emerged as a frontrunner during the previous election cycle.

Authorities attributed his rise to overseas manipulation of the vote.

Investigative reports later implied that the campaign leading to the annulled election may have been instigated by a Romanian political party aiming to fragment the conservative vote.

Georgescu was ultimately barred from participating in the subsequent election.

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