Calin Georgescu, Romania’s presidential election front-runner, was banned from running for president by the country’s election bureau.
On Sunday, the Central Election Bureau rejected Georgescu’s bid for presidential candidacy after he filed to run in Romania’s May elections on Friday. The CEB cited a ruling from the country’s highest court last year that overturned the results of the first round of presidential elections, which Georgescu won in November.
Romania's Constitutional Court alleged in December that Georgescu's performance was fueled by interference from foreign governments, such as Russia, that had backed TikTok campaigns to sway the public.
"Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!" Georgescu said in a post on X following the CEB’s decision. "I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall!"
The United States condemned the court ruling overturning Romania's election last year as antidemocratic. Georgescu has highlighted arguments that the CEB's call on Sunday was influenced by activists linked to George Soros, a powerful left-wing billionaire who has poured billions into crafting political infrastructure globally. Georgescu is appealing the court’s decision, according to the Guardian.
“We go together all the way for the same values: Peace, democracy, freedom,” he said in a video posted on Facebook that also urged supporters to shun violent protests. Protests and riots broke out in Bucharest, Romania's capital, after the courts blocked Georgescu from running.
Georgescu is an independent candidate who has been characterized by his opposition as having pro-Russia and fascist views. He captured the world’s attention last year when he gained staggering traction during the country’s first round of presidential elections.
The Romanian election process calls for up to two rounds of voting for presidential candidates. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the ballots, another round is held for a runoff election.
The first round of elections, held on Nov. 24, 2024, saw Georgescu come in first with roughly 23% of the vote, ahead of rival Elena Lasconi.
However, the election results were annulled on Dec. 7, the day before the second round of elections. Romania’s Constitutional Court made it the first country to overturn an election based on allegations of foreign interference. And the election set for Dec. 8 was canceled.
“I think we, we made history, we wrote history already because they didn't believe that the Romanian people can wake up and can decide for his own,” Georgescu told the Washington Times during an interview this month. “Because, always, they said, ‘We shall decide for you.’ The Romanian people, in November, they said, ‘We decide, not you, the system.’”
“I spoke things which the Romanian people, they are waiting for more than 35 years, which does mean family, God, land, prosperity, and private property,” Georgescu said.
“Also, I spoke about peace, and this was the alarm [to] the system when I spoke about peace because they are looking for war,” he continued. “And the system was, was in panic, was in alarm when they hear peace. Also, I said, the only strategic partner before anything else, before anybody else, it just the United States. And in this moment, they [the system] were totally desperate."
Georgescu would have won the second round and become Romania’s president if the election had been held as planned, according to a poll by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy. The same survey found a majority of Romanians believed it was “a bad decision” to cancel the election.
Georgescu was arrested on Feb. 26 and was indicted on six counts, including membership in a fascist organization.
ROMANIA MAKES HISTORY OVERTURNING ELECTION DUE TO ALLEGATIONS OF FOREIGN INTERFERENCE ONLINE
He has denied all accusations of wrongdoing, saying that his arrest was a “Communist act,” and he exposed government corruption in comments to the Washington Times.
The first round of the presidential election rerun is now scheduled for May 4, with a runoff set to follow on May 18 if no candidate wins more than 50% of the votes.