Far-right front-runner in Romania’s annulled presidential race files his candidacy in the rerun
Far-right front-runner in Romania’s annulled presidential race files his candidacy in the rerun
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian far-right populist Calin Georgescu filed his candidacy Friday in a rerun of last year’s presidential election that was annulled by a top court after his surprise first-round win.
As the 62-year-old Georgescu arrived at the Central Election Bureau in the capital, Bucharest, hundreds of supporters waved Romanian flags and chanted: “Last resort, another revolution!”
Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the first round results two days before the Dec. 8 runoff, after allegations emerged that Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote the outsider. At the time, Georgescu, who ran as an independent, denounced the court’s decision as an “officialized coup” and an attack on democracy.
“On December 6 … democracy was killed,” Georgescu told reporters Friday. “Today … the Romanian people were resurrected. I submitted the file with over 324,000 signatures, out of respect for the Romanian people who understood that they must defend their democracy and free expression.”
It is unclear whether Georgescu will be allowed to participate in the European Union nation’s new election.
Prosecutors launched a criminal probe against him last month, accusing him of “incitement to actions against the constitutional order,” supporting fascist groups and false declarations of electoral campaign funding and asset disclosures.
The first round of the rerun is scheduled for May 4. If no candidate wins more than 50% of ballots, a runoff will follow on May 18. The deadline for presidential candidacy applications is March 15 at midnight, after which the Central Election Bureau has 48 hours to register or reject them. Rejections can be appealed within 24 hours.
Before the Nov. 24 election, Georgescu, who is under judicial control and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending. Allegations quickly emerged of electoral violations and Russian interference. Moscow denied it meddled in the election.
Georgescu has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and questioned Ukraine’s statehood, but says he is not pro-Russian.
Incumbent Bucharest mayor and mathematician, Nicusor Dan, also filed his candidacy on Friday, as an independent, under the campaign slogan “Honest Romania.”
Since Romania canceled the election, Georgescu has become a cause célèbre among the far-right, with support coming from prominent figures such as U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk, who have both strongly criticized Romania for annulling the vote.
