A Canceled Vote, Then A Banned Candidate. Now Romania Holds Election Rerun.

As polling stations opened early in the morning in Romania's presidential elections on May 4, the focus is not only who might win -- but also on whether the debacle of the last vote can be avoided.

Last time, in November, pro-Russian nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu caused a massive surprise in the first round of voting by coming first with some 2 million votes. Previously considered a fringe candidate with no serious chance of success, he never got to try his luck in the second-round run-off.

Romanian authorities annulled the results amid accusations of Russian meddling in the campaign. Georgescu was then banned from running in the new elections, and a raft of new rules were introduced for the election rerun that is now taking place.

SEE ALSO: Who Is Calin Georgescu, The Far-Right Winner Of Romania's Presidential First Round?

Last year's events were wildly controversial and gave Romania unexpected prominence in global headlines. When US Vice President JD Vance weighed in during a speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, the stakes were raised even further.

"Romania straight up canceled the results of a presidential election based on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors," he told a stunned audience of politicians and diplomats.

According to Romanian intelligence reports, foreign actors had manipulated social media platforms, especially TikTok, to benefit Georgescu, who is critical of NATO and opposes Romanian support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion. Intelligence reports indicated the campaign was likely orchestrated by Russia, though Moscow denied any involvement.

Supporters of Calin Georgescu at a rally in February

In the two months since Vance's comments, tensions in Romania have been rising. The country has a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine and the political establishment in Bucharest has been further jolted by Washington's sharp policy shift on Ukraine and Russia.

Funding Furor

Romania, a member of NATO and the European Union, has provided Ukraine with military support. This election could see that change.

The latest polling puts Georgescu's replacement, George Simion, in first place with some 30 percent support. Simion has hinted at territorial claims on Ukraine and called for union with Moldova. He has been banned from entering both countries.

Simion has also called for a halt to military aid to Ukraine but denies he is pro-Russian. The 38-year-old, who in November posted a picture of himself in a red baseball cap with the logo "Trump Save America," recently said he's "perfectly aligned ideologically with the MAGA movement."

Romanian presidential candidate George Simion

On April 24, Romania's electoral authorities announced they were beginning an investigation into Simion's Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) party over allegations it had violated campaign-financing rules.

The allegations suggest he organized a $1.5 million payment to a US lobbying firm to set up meetings in Washington, where he was a guest on Steve Bannon's WarRoom podcast and had a TV appearance with Jack Posobiec. The payment allegedly came from funds allocated by the state. Simion denies the allegations.

The furor is an additional headache given the circumstances of the last poll.

SEE ALSO: How TikTok Fueled The Rise Of Romania's Far-Right Presidential Candidate Georgescu

A big change ahead of the election rerun was that campaign-financing rules were tightened. This was a direct response to Georgescu's success last year, when he officially declared he had spent nothing on his campaign while benefiting from massive exposure on social media.

Criminal Investigations

Several criminal investigations are under way in Romania following allegations that people were paid to promote Georgescu online. The new rules seek to stop this happening.

"The candidate can only receive money that goes through an official account, and all expenses are made through the official account," Septimius Pirvu from Expert Forum, a Bucharest think-tank, told RFE/RL.

The Curious Case Of Romanian-Russian Spies

But Expert Forum noted in a report in late April that even when this data was published, the transparency was "limited" because it did not reveal the identities of political donors.

Meanwhile, figures showed Simion's declared expenses were nearly 10 times lower than his nearest rival, 65-year-old centrist Crin Antonescu, who was polling at around 25 percent support.

Another rule change stipulated that any political advertising materials must be clearly marked with information about whether they are paid-for content and whether they are targeted at specific voter groups.

Under this rule, social media platforms removed hundreds of online posts deemed "illegal" by Romania's electoral authorities, although they did not agree to every request to take down content.

Whatever happens at the ballot box on May 4 is probably not the end of the story. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, there will be a second round of voting between the top two candidates on May 18.

Most observers believe Simion would find it challenging to win a second round. But given what happened last time, all bets are off.

In all, there are 11 candidates. Polls also suggest two others could have a chance of reaching the second round: former Prime Minister Victor Ponta and Bucharest Mayor Nicursor Dan.

Under Romania's constitution, the president appoints the country's prime minister. The appointment needs to be approved by parliament, where Simion's AUR is the largest opposition party.

The president also represents Romania at NATO and EU summits and can use Romania's veto of EU decisions.