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Romania’s electoral bureau has barred Calin Georgescu from running for office in May
Scuffles between police and supporters of Romanian politician Calin Georgescu have erupted outside the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) in Bucharest after the body barred the politician from running in the upcoming election. Georgescu won the first-round of the presidential vote in November but his victory was soon thereafter annulled by the Constitutional Court.
Georgescu condemned Sunday’s ruling, claiming the electoral board’s decision spells grave consequences for democracy not only in Romania but all across the globe.
“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 BEC ruling can be appealed to the Constitutional Court within 24 hours, while the top judiciary body will have 48 hours to produce a final decision.
The electoral board did not provide any explanation for its decision, stating only the full text for the ruling will be published online later on.
The announcement elicited an angry reaction from a crowd of Georgescu’s supporters who had gathered outside the BEC building. Many of the protesters became unruly and attempted to breach police barriers and scuffled with law enforcement, which had a large presence in the area. Officers responded with tear gas and pepper spray, which appear to have affected multiple protesters, footage from the scene suggests.
Georgescu scored a shocking win in the first round of presidential elections last November when he unexpectedly garnered 23% of the vote. However, the Constitutional Court annulled the results shortly before the second round, citing intelligence documents alleging “irregularities” in the campaign and claiming without proof that the candidate was covertly supported by Russia. Georgescu is known as an outspoken critic of NATO and the EU, and a staunch opponent of supporting Ukraine.
Subsequent media reports, citing the preliminary findings of an investigation into the matter, however, indicated that the alleged “irregularities” cited by the court actually stemmed from the activities of a consulting firm associated with the ruling pro-Western National Liberal Party. The efforts undertaken by the firm were presumably aimed at derailing another candidate yet yielded the unexpected outcome of boosting Georgescu instead.
In late February, Georgescu was briefly arrested and indicted on six criminal charges, including alleged “anti-constitutional acts,”“voter bribery,” and “promoting fascist, racist, or xenophobic ideologies.” The politician has maintained his innocence and asked US President Donald Trump for help, claiming the campaign against him was politically motivated and organized by the Romanian “deep state.” The Romanian election turmoil was promptly noticed by Trump’s close ally, billionaire Elon Musk, who said the decision to bar Georgescu was a “crazy” move.
