Simina Tănăsescu argues that the decision to annul the 2024 elections drew the world's attention to the risks of digital technologies and AI

The President of the Constitutional Court of Romania, Elena-Simina Tănăsescu, stated on Friday that the decision to annul the presidential elections of December 2024 “drew the world’s attention to the risks posed by digital technologies and artificial intelligence, particularly with regard to democratic procedures.” According to her, limiting political power through the Constitution is essential for protecting the rule of law.

In her speech delivered before representatives of constitutional jurisdictions, Tănăsescu emphasized that constitutional values must be defended both in stable periods and in times of crisis. She warned that democracy entails rejecting the concentration of power in the hands of one person, a group, or a majority.

The President of the CCR compared the intervention of constitutional courts in electoral processes in Austria, Romania, and Bulgaria. She recalled the rerun of the second round of Austria’s 2016 presidential elections, the complete annulment of Romania’s presidential elections in December 2024, and the partial invalidation of the parliamentary election results in Bulgaria in March 2025.

“In December 2024, the Constitutional Court of Romania invalidated the entire electoral process concerning the election of the President of Romania, resulting in its complete rerun. In March 2025, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria partially invalidated the results of the parliamentary elections held in October 2024. Although it is not unique, the decision of the Constitutional Court of Romania drew the attention of the entire world to the risks posed by digital technologies and artificial intelligence, components of the information society, particularly with regard to democratic procedures and mechanisms,” the President of the Constitutional Court further stated, according to News.ro.

Although the information society can increase access to information and transparency, it can also encourage the “commodification of human attention,” she warned.