Romania’s government ended the suspense today by setting the long-awaited dates for new presidential elections for May, following the cancellation in early December of the previous election process amid speculation of Russian meddling.

“The legislation setting the date for the 2025 presidential election has been approved,” government spokesman Mihai Konstantin said, confirming a previous proposal to hold the first round on May 4 and the second on May 18.

The mood in the European Union member state is tense following this unusual decision by the Constitutional Court, which has been accused by supporters of the far-right, which won the election, of stealing their vote.

Candidate Kalin Georgesku, 62, a virtual unknown a few weeks before the election, won the first round to everyone’s surprise. However, authorities accuse him of profiting from an illegal campaign of support on the TikTok platform. The European Commission has announced the opening of an investigation.