A top Romanian court on Thursday asked the official electoral authority to recount and verify all of the ballots cast in the first round of the presidential election.

A Romanian hard-right NATO critic and leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu appeared in dead heat after the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, partial tallies showed, in a shock result threatening Romania's staunchly pro-Ukraine stance.

Electoral data shows that a far-right populist has taken the lead in Romania’s presidential election and will likely face leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks.

Romanians vote in a parliamentary election on Sunday in which the far right is expected to gain from uncertainty over whether the shock result in a presidential election will stand. Days after far-right politician Calin Georgescu won most votes in the presidential election first round,

Ballots from the Romanian diaspora, which are not included in the main tally, showed a center-right politician in first place.

A top Romanian court has asked the official electoral authority to recount and verify all of the ballots cast in the first round of the presidential election.

Romania on Friday began recounting the votes from last week's dramatic first-round presidential election, amid concerns the ballot might be annulled as authorities pointed to Russia's influence and al

Romania's top court on Friday postponed a decision on whether to annul the result of the first round of a presidential election until Dec. 2, after a shock result that caused suspicions of interference in the campaign.

Still reeling from this week's shock developments, Romanians returned to the polls on Sunday (December 1) to elect their parliament, with the far right tipped to win, potentially heralding a shift in the NATO country's foreign policy.