Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Far-right Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu has lodged an appeal at the constitutional court after his bid for a May rerun was thrown out on the grounds that he was in breach of democratic rules.
Romania’s central electoral bureau (BEC) on Sunday had dismissed his candidacy, prompting violent clashes between Georgescu supporters and police in downtown Bucharest. The ban sparked condemnation from X owner and Donald Trump adviser Elon Musk, who posted “this is crazy” and questioned how a judge could “end democracy in Romania”.
Georgescu and his far-right allies on Monday urged his fans “not to engage in the kind of violence we witnessed last night”, adding that he thanked them for their support and encouraged them to “go until the end” in their pursuit of peace, democracy and freedom.
In its motivation, the BEC on Sunday said Georgescu had already been found in breach of democratic rules last year, when the constitutional court took the unprecedented decision to cancel a first-round vote he had topped because it suspected he had illegally benefited from an election campaign co-ordinated by Moscow.
“By being in breach of election procedure rules” Georgescu “did not meet the legal requirements” for a renewed presidential bid, BEC said.
Russia has dismissed any direct involvement in the Romanian election, but its foreign intelligence service SVR last week described Georgescu as a victim of an alleged “war on anti-establishment leaders who are open supporters of US President Donald Trump”.
Far-right leader George Simion on Monday said Georgescu had filed the appeal at the constitutional court, adding he did not have “much hope” that the court would rule in Georgescu’s favour. A verdict is due on Tuesday.
“Mr Georgescu will exhaust all available legal pathways and we will go with him all the way,” Simion said.
The leader of AUR, which is the second-largest party in the Romanian parliament, had previously said he would take Georgescu’s place if he is disqualified. On Monday, however, he said it was up to Georgescu to decide who should take over the baton. “All options are on the table,” he added.
Simion told the Financial Times last month that he was ready to “step up” if Georgescu asked him to, but that he would prefer the prime minister’s post in case his party won the next parliamentary elections. “We have to plan ahead. I’m comfortable with my current position as leader of the opposition,” he said.
Romanian authorities on Monday ordered social media platforms to take down Simion’s appeal on supporters to “skin alive” those BEC members who voted in favour of throwing out Georgescu’s bid.
Georgescu is also separately the subject of a criminal probe in which he is accused of colluding with far-right groups to undermine the constitutional order. After being taken in for questioning by prosecutors last month, he emerged from the courthouse doing a Nazi salute.
