US vice president JD Vance criticized Romania's decision to annul its presidential elections last December, 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.

"As I understand it, the argument was that Russian disinformation had infected the Romanian elections. But I'd ask my European friends to have some perspective. You can believe it's wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections; we certainly do; you can condemn it on the world stage even. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn't very strong to begin with," JD Vance told the Munich conference on February 14.

This marked the first official response from the Trump administration on the issue, Biziday.ro noted. 

In his speech, JD Vance pointed to former European Commissioner Thierry Breton - though not mentioning him by name - for allegedly supporting Romania's decision. "He warned that if things don't go to plan, the very same thing could happen in Germany too … But when we see European courts canceling elections and senior officials threatening to cancel others, we ought to ask whether we're holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard," Vance said.

JD Vance's remarks sparked reactions from Romanian officials. 

In a post on X, interim president Ilie Bolojan said: "Romania's foreign policy will reassert our primary objectives: ensuring stability, prosperity, and security for the Romanian citizens, as well as in our neighborhood and beyond."

Romania's foreign policy will reassert our primary objectives: ensuring stability, prosperity and security for the Romanian citizens, as well as in our neighbourhood and beyond.

— Ilie Bolojan (@Bolojan) February 14, 2025

Meanwhile, prime minister Marcel Ciolacu stated: "Romania remains a defender of the democratic values that Europe shares with the USA. All Romanian authorities are committed to organizing free & fair elections by empowering citizens and guaranteeing the freedom to vote."

Romania remains a defender of the democratic values that Europe shares with the USA. All RO authorities are committed to organizing free & fair elections by empowering citizens and guaranteeing the freedom to vote.

— Marcel Ciolacu (@CiolacuMarcel) February 14, 2025

In her turn, opposition leader Elena Lasconi (USR), who is running for president again after making it to the second round in last year's elections, saw JD Vance's statement as a confirmation of what her party has been saying: "It is vital that we are given an explanation for why the elections were annulled."

"What JD Vance is saying now shows that Romania has not provided an explanation - neither to its external partners nor even to its strategic partner - about what happened last December," she added.

Meanwhile, Crin Antonescu, the presidential candidate of the ruling PNL-PSD-UDMR alliance, said that, following the criticisms of the US vice president regarding the cancellation of the elections in Romania, the idea has been reinforced from Washington that Romanian authorities must provide all explanations concerning the election annulment, not because JD Vance asked for it, but for the Romanian public opinion.

"If president Klaus Iohannis did not do it, Ilie Bolojan is obliged to do it. JD Vance's intervention was correct," Antonescu said, as quoted by News.ro.

Romania will hold presidential elections again this year, with the first round scheduled for May 4, after the Constitutional Court annulled last year's elections. 

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Munich Security Conference; by Michael Kuhlmann)