Entrance Denied: Romanian Far Right Candidate Banned From Vote

Romanian far-right politician Călin Georgescu is banned from running in May’s presidential election, the country’s top court decided Tuesday, a ruling that follows the annulment of last year’s election, in which he took the most votes, the Associated Press reported.

The Constitutional Court in the capital of Bucharest issued a final and unanimous ruling to uphold a decision earlier in the week by the Central Election Bureau, which rejected Georgescu’s candidacy following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, BBC reported.

It said that Georgescu’s candidacy did not “meet the conditions of legality,” because he “violated the very obligation to defend democracy.”

The top court’s decision was met with “boos” from the crowd gathered outside to support the candidate, with protesters waving Romanian flags and clutching Orthodox Christian icons and crucifixes. They chanted slogans like “Thieves,” “Calin Georgescu is president,” and “Stop dictatorship.”

Intelligence officials say that Russia ran a coordinated online campaign, including almost 800 TikTok videos, to back Georgescu who ran as an independent after his sudden entry into politics. He took the most votes in the first round of elections in November.

Two days before the runoff on Dec. 8, election officials annulled the election.

Georgescu posted a video online saying that he was banned because he is an outsider candidate. He also criticized Romania’s dependence on the European Union and NATO, adding “democracy and freedom are taking their last breath.”

Romania’s far-right – which holds about a third of the seats in parliament – needs to replace Georgescu by March 15. Many speculated that his close political ally, George Simion, would run in his place.

Opponents hailed the court’s decision, saying that Russia is trying to undermine Europe and its liberal values.

Moscow, on the other hand, denies any involvement in Georgescu’s victory, calling the accusation “absolutely baseless.”