Romania has announced it will hold new presidential elections in May after the shock annulment of the December vote amid allegations of Russian interference.
The country has been plunged into a political crisis after the Constitutional Court decided to annul a presidential election in which a little-known far-right candidate won a surprise first round.
Candidate Calin Georgescu became famous overnight on TikTok, prompting an EU probe of the platform.
He denounced the annulment of the vote as a "formalised coup d'état".
A cabinet meeting on 16 January approved the ruling party's proposal to hold a new presidential election.
The first round will be held on 4 May and the second on 18 May if no candidate in the first round wins more than 50% of the vote.
"The legislation setting the date of the presidential election in 2025 has been approved," government spokesman Mihai Constantine said.
Tens of thousands of Romanians took to the streets in Bucharest on 12 January in the second protest in the past week against the cancellation of the original vote.
They demanded the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis, who remains in office until his successor is elected.
The party Alliance for the Unification of Romanians (AUR) organised the protest.
Georgescu is challenging the annulment of the vote in court, including the European Court of Human Rights.
The Strasbourg court said it had received Georgescu's "request for an interim measure", which will be heard by the end of January.
Romania's constitutional court annulled the presidential election after declassified intelligence documents from the president's office listed "aggressive Russian hybrid actions," including cyberattacks.
The documents also described the mass promotion of Georgescu on social networks in the run-up to the vote.
Georgescu denies any links to Moscow.
Romania, a NATO and EU member, borders war-torn Ukraine. | BGNES, AFP
