Romanian right-wing leader barred from presidential election

Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca has accused Brussels and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of hindering democratic processes in her country.

Romania’s electoral authority has turned down right-wing politician Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca’s attempt to participate in the upcoming presidential election. Announced on Saturday, this decision marks the second time the politician has been excluded from the race.

Sosoaca, formerly a lawyer and MEP for the nationalist S. O. S. Romania party, was disqualified from last year’s annulled election when the country’s Constitutional Court determined that her anti-Western rhetoric and advocacy for closer ties with Russia violated Romania’s democratic principles. Nonetheless, she submitted a new application to the Central Electoral Bureau on Thursday, arriving at the headquarters in boxing gloves and promising to “fight the system,” which she alleges is undemocratic and dictatorial.

Local media report that the election bureau referenced the Constitutional Court’s 2024 ruling when rejecting Sosoaca’s candidacy, resulting in ten votes against her bid and only three in favor. Following the announcement, Sosoaca claimed that she had demonstrated once again that Romania “doesn’t have democracy” and pledged to continue her political struggle.

In an interview with RTN on Thursday, Sosoaca accused the European Commission and its president, Ursula von der Leyen, of orchestrating her previous exclusion from the race. “Ursula von der Leyen has Romanian politicians in her hand and orders them what decisions to make,” she said, criticizing the commission president as “the main opponent of sovereignty in Romania, as well as all other countries in Europe.”

Self-identifying as a “sovereignist” committed to Romania’s future, Sosoaca attributes the country’s economic struggles to the policies of Brussels, particularly regarding Russia, and labels the EU a “dictatorship.”

“Romania needs a negotiator who will take our country out of the EU’s losing logic,” she asserted, noting that EU policies, including sanctions against Russia, had “bankrupted its own economy” and led to unnecessary conflict, with “all European countries paying for this stupidity.”

Sosoaca has until midnight on Saturday to appeal the electoral authority's decision. The initial round of the election, a rerun following last November’s annulled vote, is set for May 4. Currently, 14 candidates have applied to run, among whom four— including the first-round winner from the annulled vote and another strong NATO and EU critic, Calin Georgescu—have been rejected.

Georgescu was the winner in the first round of last November’s election, but the Constitutional Court invalidated the results due to allegations of electoral violations and claims of Russia conducting an online campaign to support him. Moscow has denied any involvement in Romania’s electoral processes. Earlier investigations revealed that the irregularities could be traced back to a consulting firm associated with the pro-Western National Liberal Party, which allegedly intended to undermine another candidate but inadvertently bolstered Georgescu instead.

Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this article for TROIB News