Protests Flare Up After Anti-NATO Romanian Presidential Candidate Is Disqualified from Election
Romania’s electoral bureau has disqualified Calin Georgescu, whose victory in the first round last November was annulled, from participating in the upcoming May elections. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Romania’s electoral bureau has barred Calin Georgescu from running for office in May.
Scuffles erupted between police and supporters of the Romanian politician outside the Central Electoral Bureau in Bucharest after the bureau ruled against his candidacy in the upcoming election. Georgescu had secured a victory in the first round of the presidential vote in November, but this was subsequently annulled by the Constitutional Court.
Georgescu condemned the ruling made on Sunday, stating that the electoral board's decision has severe implications for democracy not only in Romania but worldwide.
“A direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide! I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It’s that simple! Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!” Georgescu wrote on X.
The ruling by the BEC can be appealed to the Constitutional Court within 24 hours, and the top judicial body is required to issue a final decision within 48 hours.
The electoral board did not elaborate on its decision, only noting that the complete text of the ruling would be made available online later.
The announcement ignited a furious response from Georgescu’s supporters, who had gathered outside the BEC building. Many protesters became unruly, attempting to breach police barriers and clashing with law enforcement, who were heavily deployed in the area. Officers resorted to using tear gas and pepper spray, which appeared to impact several protesters, as suggested by footage from the scene.
Georgescu had achieved a surprising win in the first round of the presidential elections last November with 23% of the vote. However, the Constitutional Court annulled these results shortly before the second round, citing intelligence documents that alleged "irregularities" in the campaign, including unsubstantiated claims that the candidate was being covertly supported by Russia. Georgescu has built a reputation as a vocal critic of NATO and the EU, alongside being a strong opponent of support for Ukraine.
Subsequent media reports, referencing preliminary findings from an investigation, indicated that the irregularities cited by the court actually derived from a consulting firm linked to the ruling pro-Western National Liberal Party. This firm's activities seemed intended to undermine another candidate but unexpectedly boosted Georgescu's performance instead.
In late February, Georgescu was briefly arrested and faced six criminal charges, which included alleged “anti-constitutional acts,” “voter bribery,” and “promoting fascist, racist, or xenophobic ideologies.” He has consistently denied the allegations and appealed to US President Donald Trump for assistance, arguing that the campaign against him is politically motivated and orchestrated by the Romanian “deep state.” The electoral turmoil in Romania drew the attention of Trump’s close associate, billionaire Elon Musk, who labeled the decision to bar Georgescu as a “crazy” move.
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
Scuffles erupted between police and supporters of the Romanian politician outside the Central Electoral Bureau in Bucharest after the bureau ruled against his candidacy in the upcoming election. Georgescu had secured a victory in the first round of the presidential vote in November, but this was subsequently annulled by the Constitutional Court.
Georgescu condemned the ruling made on Sunday, stating that the electoral board's decision has severe implications for democracy not only in Romania but worldwide.
“A direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide! I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It’s that simple! Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!” Georgescu wrote on X.
The ruling by the BEC can be appealed to the Constitutional Court within 24 hours, and the top judicial body is required to issue a final decision within 48 hours.
The electoral board did not elaborate on its decision, only noting that the complete text of the ruling would be made available online later.
The announcement ignited a furious response from Georgescu’s supporters, who had gathered outside the BEC building. Many protesters became unruly, attempting to breach police barriers and clashing with law enforcement, who were heavily deployed in the area. Officers resorted to using tear gas and pepper spray, which appeared to impact several protesters, as suggested by footage from the scene.
Georgescu had achieved a surprising win in the first round of the presidential elections last November with 23% of the vote. However, the Constitutional Court annulled these results shortly before the second round, citing intelligence documents that alleged "irregularities" in the campaign, including unsubstantiated claims that the candidate was being covertly supported by Russia. Georgescu has built a reputation as a vocal critic of NATO and the EU, alongside being a strong opponent of support for Ukraine.
Subsequent media reports, referencing preliminary findings from an investigation, indicated that the irregularities cited by the court actually derived from a consulting firm linked to the ruling pro-Western National Liberal Party. This firm's activities seemed intended to undermine another candidate but unexpectedly boosted Georgescu's performance instead.
In late February, Georgescu was briefly arrested and faced six criminal charges, which included alleged “anti-constitutional acts,” “voter bribery,” and “promoting fascist, racist, or xenophobic ideologies.” He has consistently denied the allegations and appealed to US President Donald Trump for assistance, arguing that the campaign against him is politically motivated and orchestrated by the Romanian “deep state.” The electoral turmoil in Romania drew the attention of Trump’s close associate, billionaire Elon Musk, who labeled the decision to bar Georgescu as a “crazy” move.
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
