Romania Sparks Protests, Criticism after Barring Far-Right Candidate

Romania has barred the far-right populist Calin Georgescu from participating in May's upcoming presidential election. The decision has sparked angry protests at home and criticism abroad about Europe's commitment to democracy.

The country's Constitutional Court unanimously rejected an appeal by Georgescu on Tuesday against the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) barring him from the elections. The BEC on Sunday rejected Georgescu’s candidacy for a rerun of the presidential election in May.

Georgescu’s candidacy did not “meet the conditions of legality," the electoral bureau said before his appeal. "It would be unacceptable for the restarted election process to consider the same individual as eligible for the presidency."

Georgescu called the decision on Sunday "a direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide!" The 62-year-old won the first round of the presidential race on November 24 before the court cancelled the election.

Romanian Presidential election first-round results in 2024, Source: Statista

The country annulled the results after intelligence revealed that Russia had allegedly set up almost 800 TikTok accounts to support Georgescu.

In response to Georgescu’s ban, hundreds of protesters waved Romanian flags and chanted. "The last resort is another revolution!" Some threw broken paving stones and other objects at the scores of riot police dispatched to the area.

Romania Sparks Concerns After Candidate Barred

The court's decision has raised concerns about democratic integrity and stability in Europe.

"Whatever happened to the notion that, faced with the enemies of democracy, we should fight their ideas but, equally, for their right to express them?" Yanis Varoufakis, an economist and former Greek Minister of Finance, wrote on X.

Source: X

Ralph Schoellhammer, head of the Center for Applied History at Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Budapest, described the electoral ban as "crazy."

"The guy leading the polls in Romania is banned from standing for the presidential election because of 800 TikTok accounts that may or may not have been paid for by Russia?"

Romania's Political Instability May Hurt Economic Growth

As the country's political instability unfolds, policymakers are managing a "tricky" fiscal position, external risks, and a "cautious" National Bank of Romania, according to ING Think.

"Policymakers are juggling long-awaited fiscal consolidation, external imbalances, and persistent inflation," ING Think wrote on March 5. This makes "their task akin to walking a tightening rope that becomes more precarious with each election cycle."

ING expects GDP to increase from 0.9% in 2024 to 1.6% in 2025. The current account deficit will slightly improve from -8.2% in 2024 to -7.4% of GDP this year.

"With the May elections approaching, the evolving political landscape may influence the country’s direction," ING Think said. "The decisions made in the coming months will be pivotal, steering Romania's trajectory for some time to come."

Romania's Decision May Further Undermine EU-US Ties

The developments in Romania may further erode ties between the EU and the US.

President Donald Trump imposed sweeping 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imported into the US on Wednesday. In response, the EU said it will respond with "strong but proportionate countermeasures."

Washington has accused the 27-member block of backsliding on its commitment to democracy and free speech.

"But when we see European courts cancelling elections and senior officials threatening to cancel others, we ought to ask whether we're holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard." US Vice President JD Vance said at the Munich Security Conference. "We must do more than talk about democratic values. We must live them."

Romania Sparks Accusation of Violating Rule of Law

The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group Co-Chairmen, Nicola Procaccini and Patryk Jaki, strongly condemned the decision.

"This is a blatant violation of the rule of law and democratic principles—something unprecedented within the European Union," Procaccini said.

Romania's Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja pushed back against the criticism.

"Romania's Constitutional Court has just confirmed the decision to definitively ban the extremist, antisemite, Russian-backed candidate from running in the upcoming presidential elections," he wrote on X. "This is legitimate, legal, and moral. Democracy first, Romania first."

Romania Bars Candidate after Alleged Russian Interference

In January, the European Court of Human Rights rejected Georgescu’s appeal against the initial Romanian court decision to annul the presidential election.

The ruling followed allegations that Russia backed an online promotional campaign to boost Georgescu’s independent candidacy.

The court nullified the results just days before the second round of elections on December 8. In February, prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against Georgescu.

They cited allegations of Russian electoral violations and Georgescu's alleged support of fascist groups. Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov described Russia's links to Georgescu as “absolutely baseless."

Romania Sets Next Election Date

Romania will hold the new first-round of elections on May 4. If no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, candidates will compete in a runoff on May 18.

The BEC approved Bucharest’s incumbent mayor, Nicusor Dan's candidacy on March 9. In addition, Crin Antonescu, the joint presidential candidate supported by Romania’s ruling coalition, registered his presidential candidacy on March 9.

In a Facebook video posted on March 11, Georgescu suggested that his supporters choose another candidate.

“If you want to support anyone by signing new lists for the presidential campaign, please do as your conscience tells you,” he said. “It seems democracy and freedom are taking their last breath these days."

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