Romania’s presidential frontrunner has been barred from attempting to run for office again

Romanian presidential hopeful Calin Georgescu has branded the EU a “dictatorship” and stated that his country is “under tyranny” in response to the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) in Bucharest shooting down his candidacy for the upcoming election re-run.

The BEC dismissed Georgescu’s bid late on Sunday, having received more than 1,000 challenges against him, largely revolving around his allegedly “anti-democratic” and “extremist” stance. According to the ruling published on Sunday evening, Georgescu had “failed to comply with the rules of the electoral procedure, violating the very obligation… to defend democracy.”

The presidential hopeful, who was a clear favorite in the upcoming election and was polling between 40% and 45%, strongly condemned the decision.

“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 has prompted scuffles between Georgescu’s supporters and law enforcement outside the electoral board. The protesters tried to breach police barriers erected around the building, with the law enforcement responding with tear gas and pepper spray.

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Georgescu, a critic of NATO and the EU and an opponent of aiding Ukraine, made the headlines last November when he scored a surprise victory in the first round of presidential election, receiving 23% of the votes. The result, however, was promptly annulled by Romania’s Constitutional Court, which cited “irregularities” in the candidate’s campaign and intelligence reports claiming Russian meddling.

Preliminary findings of an investigation reportedly indicated that the “irregularities” stemmed from the actions of a consulting firm associated with the ruling pro-Western National Liberal Party (PNL). The firm had presumably sought to derail another candidate but accidentally boosted Georgescu instead. 

Romanian media also reported that Georgescu was suspected of breaking campaign finance laws by not disclosing donations from wealthy businessmen.

Last month, Georgescu was arrested and charged with “promoting fascist, racist, or xenophobic ideologies” and plotting “anti-constitutional acts.” The politician has dismissed all the accusations as politically motivated, claiming that was being targeted  by the Romanian “deep state,” and asked US President Donald Trump for help.

Russia has denied attempting to influence the elections in Romania. “We have repeatedly rejected these baseless speculations and are stating it again: Russia has no habit of meddling in the affairs of others,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakhharova told reporters earlier this week.