Romania’s top court ordered a vote recount in the first round of the presidential election, it said on Thursday, in a ruling observers said risked tarnishing the credibility of state institutions ahead of two more ballots.

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

A top court issued the ruling just days after an ultranationalist outsider unexpectedly won the most votes in the first round of presidential elections held Sunday.

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

Russia said on Friday that any accusations it had interfered in Romania's presidential election were groundless. "We are not in the habit of interfering in elections in other countries, particularly in Romania,

The winner of the first round of the presidential elections in Romania, anti-Western and far-right candidate Călin Georgescu, announced that state institutions are attempting to invalidate the choice of the citizens.