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.

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A Romanian top court will ask for a vote recount in the first round of the country's presidential election, Digi24 TV reported on Thursday citing court sources, after a shock victory for a far right candidate. A spokesperson at the Constitutional Court declined to confirm or deny the report.

Romania’s Constitutional Court ordered a recount of all the votes in the first round of the presidential election, which was won by a little-known pro-Russian candidate, deepening the political crisis in the country.

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.

Romania’s top court ordered a recount after a little-known ultranationalist candidate scored a surprise victory in Sunday’s presidential election, as a security panel said the contest was affected by a cyber operation aimed at influencing the outcome.

Cyberattacks in Romania have aimed to influence the presidential elections, as the National Defense Council (CSAT) reported Thursday. One of the candidates received preferential treatment from the social platform TikTok.