(MENAFN) Romania’s Constitutional Court has dismissed a legal challenge by presidential candidate George Simion, who alleged foreign interference in the recent election. The court ruled on Thursday that Simion’s accusations were “unfounded” and unanimously rejected his petition. The decision is final, with a detailed explanation to be issued later.

Simion, a conservative and vocal EU critic, narrowly lost Sunday’s runoff vote to pro-European Union Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan. He claimed on Tuesday that “external interference by state and non-state actors” had influenced the outcome, naming several countries, including France. In response to the court’s decision, Simion called it a “continuation of a coup d’état” and pledged to continue his political struggle.

This follows a controversial first round of voting that was annulled by the same court months earlier due to “irregularities” and claims of foreign meddling, which sparked political turmoil. One of the early frontrunners, independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu, had been disqualified from the re-run amid allegations of foreign vote manipulation. Investigative reports later suggested the annulment may have been politically motivated to divide conservative voters.

Adding to the controversy, Telegram founder Pavel Durov recently claimed that France’s intelligence service, the DGSE, pressured him to suppress conservative voices during Romania’s election. While French officials denied the claim, Durov said he would testify before Romanian authorities if it would aid the democratic process.

Romania’s Foreign Ministry also accused Russia of election interference ahead of the runoff, a claim Moscow dismissed, calling the entire process chaotic and illegitimate.

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