Five months after the shock scrapping of presidential elections, Romanians go back to the polls on Sunday -- with a key far-right contender excluded and criticism by the US administration looming over the tense vote.

Thousands in Romania have protested against the vote annulment and subsequent barring of European Union and NATO critic Calin Georgescu, who topped the first round of voting in November before it was annulled.

The moves -- following claims of Russian meddling and a "massive" social media promotion of Georgescu -- have also drawn the ire of senior officials in US President Donald Trump's administration, with Vice President JD Vance and advisor Elon Musk chastising the eastern European country.

Eleven contenders are in the May 4 re-run with the far-right expected to enter a second round on May 18 in a tight battle.

The campaign has been stirred up by "indirect pressure" fuelled by US officials' comments, Sorina Soare, a political scientist at the University of Florence, told AFP.

With the NATO member hosting more than 1,700 US troops,........

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