Musk Criticizes Arrest of Presidential Candidate in EU Country
US-based billionaire Elon Musk has criticized Romania following the arrest of the frontrunner from last year's presidential elections. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Calin Georgescu, a Romanian politician known for opposing military aid to Kiev, had his victory in the first round of last year's presidential election annulled.
Elon Musk has strongly criticized Romanian authorities following the arrest of Calin Georgescu, who had won the first round of last year's annulled election. The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, and a close advisor to former President Donald Trump, called the arrest “messed up.”
Georgescu was taken into custody earlier on Wednesday, just before he planned to file to run for the presidency again, according to a post from his team on Facebook. Local media reported that police conducted multiple raids targeting his supporters and individuals associated with last year's campaign.
Reports indicate that the politician is under investigation for his alleged involvement with a “fascist organization and the promotion of controversial ideologies.” Prior to his arrest, Georgescu condemned the police raids on his supporters, claiming he was a victim of political persecution by those determined to prevent his participation in the upcoming presidential election.
“They just arrested the person who won the most votes in the Romanian presidential election,” Musk remarked in a post on X, referring to Georgescu’s detention.
Georgescu was released later the same day but is now subject to certain restrictions under a court order. According to local media, he has been prohibited from making statements on social media and from appearing on television. The charges filed against him include “anti-constitutional acts” and misreporting his finances.
In the first round of the presidential election last November, Georgescu achieved a surprising 23% of the vote. However, the Constitutional Court annulled those results shortly before the second round, citing “irregularities” in his campaign amid unsubstantiated allegations of Russian interference in the electoral process.
This cancellation faced backlash from the United States. At the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, Vice President J.D. Vance stated that certain “old entrenched interests” in Romania were utilizing “ugly, Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation” to protect their interests and prevent a politician with “an alternative viewpoint” from gaining power.
Throughout his campaign, Georgescu championed Romania's geopolitical non-alignment and sovereignty. He asserted that the country would uphold its commitments to NATO and the EU only to the extent that those bodies respected their obligations to Bucharest, and he also pledged to cease military aid to Kiev.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
Elon Musk has strongly criticized Romanian authorities following the arrest of Calin Georgescu, who had won the first round of last year's annulled election. The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, and a close advisor to former President Donald Trump, called the arrest “messed up.”
Georgescu was taken into custody earlier on Wednesday, just before he planned to file to run for the presidency again, according to a post from his team on Facebook. Local media reported that police conducted multiple raids targeting his supporters and individuals associated with last year's campaign.
Reports indicate that the politician is under investigation for his alleged involvement with a “fascist organization and the promotion of controversial ideologies.” Prior to his arrest, Georgescu condemned the police raids on his supporters, claiming he was a victim of political persecution by those determined to prevent his participation in the upcoming presidential election.
“They just arrested the person who won the most votes in the Romanian presidential election,” Musk remarked in a post on X, referring to Georgescu’s detention.
Georgescu was released later the same day but is now subject to certain restrictions under a court order. According to local media, he has been prohibited from making statements on social media and from appearing on television. The charges filed against him include “anti-constitutional acts” and misreporting his finances.
In the first round of the presidential election last November, Georgescu achieved a surprising 23% of the vote. However, the Constitutional Court annulled those results shortly before the second round, citing “irregularities” in his campaign amid unsubstantiated allegations of Russian interference in the electoral process.
This cancellation faced backlash from the United States. At the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, Vice President J.D. Vance stated that certain “old entrenched interests” in Romania were utilizing “ugly, Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation” to protect their interests and prevent a politician with “an alternative viewpoint” from gaining power.
Throughout his campaign, Georgescu championed Romania's geopolitical non-alignment and sovereignty. He asserted that the country would uphold its commitments to NATO and the EU only to the extent that those bodies respected their obligations to Bucharest, and he also pledged to cease military aid to Kiev.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
