Revolt in Bucharest

Georgescu candidacy – now objected to

Following the rejection of his presidential candidacy by the Romanian electoral authorities, the pro-Russian politician Călin Georgescu has, as expected, lodged an appeal.(Bild: APA/AFP/Mihai Barbu)

The controversial pro-Russian politician Călin Georgescu is clashing with the Romanian authorities. After the electoral commission rejected his presidential candidacy, he filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court on Monday. 

This was announced by one of his advisors in Bucharest on Monday. The appeal to the Constitutional Court must be submitted within 24 hours, and the court is expected to rule on the matter on Wednesday. There were serious clashes in Bucharest on Sunday after the rejection of the candidacy.

Riots after rejection of candidacy
Hundreds of supporters of Georgescu, who is also under criminal prosecution, had demonstrated against his exclusion in front of the election office in the evening. Participants then broke through police barriers, who responded with tear gas. Rioters threw cobblestones and fireworks at the officers and set fire to furniture in the neighboring street cafés. They also overturned the broadcasting van of a television station they considered to be politically opposed, Romanian media reported.

The pro-Kremlin right-wing extremist Georgescu had surprisingly won the first round of the presidential election in Romania on November 24 last year. Shortly before the run-off, the Constitutional Court annulled the first round. The election will be repeated on May 4.

Election commission had rejected his candidacy
The electoral commission had rejected Georgescu's candidacy, citing two previous decisions by the Constitutional Court: in autumn 2024, the Constitutional Court had already banned the candidacy of a far-right politician on the grounds that it violated fundamental democratic values. Secondly, the electoral office referred to the annulment of the presidential election in December 2024, which the Constitutional Court had ordered due to irregularities in Georgescu's campaign financing.

The Romanian public prosecutor's office also initiated criminal proceedings against Georgescu at the end of last month. Among other things, it accuses him of incitement to acts against the constitutional order, making false statements regarding campaign financing and founding a fascist and anti-Semitic organization. Georgescu is defending himself against the accusations and has been released on conditional release.