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The Romanian pro-Russian candidate who won the first round of last year’s subsequently cancelled presidential vote has been taken in for questioning by prosecutors.
Far-right politician Călin Georgescu was picked up by police in Bucharest on Wednesday as he was travelling to register for the May rerun of the vote, according to his Facebook page.
He was taken in for questioning by the prosecutor’s office at the same time as raids across Romania targeted more than 20 people close to his campaign, including a notorious mercenary leader.
“They are looking to invent evidence to justify the theft of the elections and to do anything to block my new candidacy for the presidency,” said a post on Georgescu’s Facebook page. “Where is democracy?” A lawyer for Georgescu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The result of the November election was annulled by Romania’s constitutional court after the country’s highest national security body alleged Russian meddling in favour of Georgescu, whose first-round win shocked the country’s political establishment.
The authorities have yet to make public definitive evidence of Russian collusion in the vote. Georgescu, who has praised Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and criticised Ukraine and the west for supporting Kyiv, has denied his campaign had been fuelled by Russian intervention.
Georgescu and mercenary leader Horatiu Potra were among 27 people being targeted by prosecutors in connection with crimes including actions against the constitutional order, establishing an extremist organisation and promoting the views of people guilty of committing war crimes and genocide — in connection with Georgescu’s open admiration for Romania’s wartime leaders.
A December speech by Georgescu in Bucharest, where he repeated words and gestures of Romania’s fascist leader Ion Antonescu, was one particular cause of his detention, according to prosecutors.
It was not immediately clear what impact Georgescu’s detention would have on his bid in the repeat elections, planned for May 8 and 22. Recent polls have indicated him to be the frontrunner, with some polls quoting more than 40 per cent support for him.
Silvia Uscov, a Bucharest lawyer specialising in criminal cases, said the accusations against Georgescu were “among the most serious”, some carrying potential prison sentences of more than 10 years. The constitutional court was “likely to use these accusations” against Georgescu in a decision to bar him from running, she said.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said he expected authorities to bring “extremely solid evidence” in this investigation, which included “a potential candidate in the May elections”.
Independent analyst Radu Magdin said it was paramount for authorities to bring a solid case against Georgescu.
“Otherwise they face a massive backlash and they risk turning Georgescu into a hero and, as he likes to call himself, the president-elect, in May.”
Georgescu’s case was raised this month by US vice-president JD Vance, who denounced the annulment of the election as an indication of European backsliding on democracy.
Vance accused Romanian authorities of bowing to “flimsy” intelligence and alleged pressure from other European capitals.
People close to US President Donald Trump, including his son Donald Trump Jr and Elon Musk, have repeatedly criticised Romania for its treatment of the case. Musk posted on X on Wednesday that “they just arrested the person who won the most votes in the Romanian presidential election. This is messed up.”
