'Romania under tyranny': EU-Skeptic Calin Georgescu Excluded from Upcoming Elections
The Central Electoral Bureau has barred the politician from participating in the May presidential election due to his “anti-democratic” views. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The Central Electoral Bureau of Romania has disqualified politician Calin Georgescu from participating in the presidential election scheduled for May, citing his “anti-democratic” views.
Georgescu, a right-wing, anti-establishment candidate, had unexpectedly won the first round of the country's presidential election in November, prompting a rerun. The Bucharest electoral authorities pointed to his alleged non-compliance with electoral procedures and a failure to uphold democratic principles. Over 1,000 complaints concerning Georgescu’s “extremist” views had been submitted to the Bureau prior to this decision.
The ruling can be contested in the Constitutional Court within a 24-hour period.
In response to the decision, Georgescu, who was anticipated to be a frontrunner in the forthcoming election with projections of securing up to 45% of the vote, expressed on X that the ruling represents a “direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide.” He stated that “Europe is now a dictatorship [and] Romania is under tyranny.”
Georgescu holds a doctorate in soil science and dedicated a significant part of the 1990s and 2000s to Romania's environmental ministry. He served on the national committee of the United Nations Environment Program until 2012.
Once affiliated with the right-wing Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, Georgescu departed from the party in 2022 amid internal disputes. Despite not being linked to any political party since then, he has cultivated a notable online presence across several social media platforms.
His criticisms have often targeted NATO and the European Union, both of which Romania is part of, and he has condemned Western support for Ukraine, among other issues.
In a surprising turn during the first round of the presidential election in November, Georgescu received 23% of the votes, defying predictions from major polling organizations. However, the results were annulled by Romania’s Constitutional Court the following month, which cited intelligence documents alleging “irregularities” in the campaign and potential Russian interference. No substantiated evidence has yet emerged to support these claims.
Media reports later indicated that the alleged “irregularities” were linked to a consulting firm associated with the ruling pro-Western National Liberal Party, which reportedly attempted to undermine another candidate but inadvertently boosted Georgescu’s campaign.
In late November, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to the allegations of Russian interference by insisting that “we are not in the habit of interfering in elections in other countries, particularly in Romania, and we do not intend to do so now.” He attributed the allegations to a “basic trend that exists in the West in this regard.”
In late February, Georgescu faced brief detention and was indicted on multiple charges, encompassing “anti-constitutional acts,” “voter bribery,” and “promoting fascist, racist, or xenophobic ideologies.” He reached out to US President Donald Trump, urging him to “take care about the situation,” claiming he was a target of the “deep state” in his country.
Although President Trump has not publicly addressed the issue, US Vice President J.D. Vance referred at the Munich Security Conference to “ugly, Soviet-era” practices resurfacing in Romania aimed at suppressing an “alternative viewpoint.” Additionally, Elon Musk, appointed by Trump as government efficiency tsar, later described Georgescu’s arrest as being “messed up.”
Experts have weighed in on the situation, with a former constitutional judge quoted by Romania’s Adevarul media outlet stating that Romania's laws justify disqualifying a candidate only in cases of final conviction for a crime. Constitutional law expert Bogdan Iancu noted that Romania's Constitutional Court must consider a report issued by the Venice Commission in January, which articulated that “cancellation of a part of elections or elections as a whole is justified only under very exceptional circumstances.” The report emphasized that any cancellation of election results due to online campaign irregularities should clearly identify the violations and evidence, rather than relying solely on classified intelligence, which lacks transparency and verifiability.
The Venice Commission’s 2018 Code of Good Practice also states that “deprivation of the right to vote and to be elected… must be based on mental incapacity or a criminal conviction for a serious offense.”
Supporters of Georgescu's disqualification have pointed to a precedent from the previous year when the Constitutional Court barred another right-wing candidate, Diana Sosoaca, from running for president after evaluating her actions and public statements and their repercussions.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
Georgescu, a right-wing, anti-establishment candidate, had unexpectedly won the first round of the country's presidential election in November, prompting a rerun. The Bucharest electoral authorities pointed to his alleged non-compliance with electoral procedures and a failure to uphold democratic principles. Over 1,000 complaints concerning Georgescu’s “extremist” views had been submitted to the Bureau prior to this decision.
The ruling can be contested in the Constitutional Court within a 24-hour period.
In response to the decision, Georgescu, who was anticipated to be a frontrunner in the forthcoming election with projections of securing up to 45% of the vote, expressed on X that the ruling represents a “direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide.” He stated that “Europe is now a dictatorship [and] Romania is under tyranny.”
Georgescu holds a doctorate in soil science and dedicated a significant part of the 1990s and 2000s to Romania's environmental ministry. He served on the national committee of the United Nations Environment Program until 2012.
Once affiliated with the right-wing Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, Georgescu departed from the party in 2022 amid internal disputes. Despite not being linked to any political party since then, he has cultivated a notable online presence across several social media platforms.
His criticisms have often targeted NATO and the European Union, both of which Romania is part of, and he has condemned Western support for Ukraine, among other issues.
In a surprising turn during the first round of the presidential election in November, Georgescu received 23% of the votes, defying predictions from major polling organizations. However, the results were annulled by Romania’s Constitutional Court the following month, which cited intelligence documents alleging “irregularities” in the campaign and potential Russian interference. No substantiated evidence has yet emerged to support these claims.
Media reports later indicated that the alleged “irregularities” were linked to a consulting firm associated with the ruling pro-Western National Liberal Party, which reportedly attempted to undermine another candidate but inadvertently boosted Georgescu’s campaign.
In late November, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to the allegations of Russian interference by insisting that “we are not in the habit of interfering in elections in other countries, particularly in Romania, and we do not intend to do so now.” He attributed the allegations to a “basic trend that exists in the West in this regard.”
In late February, Georgescu faced brief detention and was indicted on multiple charges, encompassing “anti-constitutional acts,” “voter bribery,” and “promoting fascist, racist, or xenophobic ideologies.” He reached out to US President Donald Trump, urging him to “take care about the situation,” claiming he was a target of the “deep state” in his country.
Although President Trump has not publicly addressed the issue, US Vice President J.D. Vance referred at the Munich Security Conference to “ugly, Soviet-era” practices resurfacing in Romania aimed at suppressing an “alternative viewpoint.” Additionally, Elon Musk, appointed by Trump as government efficiency tsar, later described Georgescu’s arrest as being “messed up.”
Experts have weighed in on the situation, with a former constitutional judge quoted by Romania’s Adevarul media outlet stating that Romania's laws justify disqualifying a candidate only in cases of final conviction for a crime. Constitutional law expert Bogdan Iancu noted that Romania's Constitutional Court must consider a report issued by the Venice Commission in January, which articulated that “cancellation of a part of elections or elections as a whole is justified only under very exceptional circumstances.” The report emphasized that any cancellation of election results due to online campaign irregularities should clearly identify the violations and evidence, rather than relying solely on classified intelligence, which lacks transparency and verifiability.
The Venice Commission’s 2018 Code of Good Practice also states that “deprivation of the right to vote and to be elected… must be based on mental incapacity or a criminal conviction for a serious offense.”
Supporters of Georgescu's disqualification have pointed to a precedent from the previous year when the Constitutional Court barred another right-wing candidate, Diana Sosoaca, from running for president after evaluating her actions and public statements and their repercussions.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
