Protests erupted in Bucharest after the Central Election Bureau disqualified far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from the presidential redo. Georgescu’s supporters expressed their anger outside the BEC, leading to clashes with police. The electoral situation remains fraught, with ongoing investigations and implications of foreign influence as Romania approaches its May elections.
On a tumultuous Sunday evening in Bucharest, chaos erupted as supporters of far-right populist Calin Georgescu protested against the electoral body’s decision to disqualify his candidacy in the upcoming presidential election redo. Georgescu had previously won the first round of the election before a court annulled the results.
Georgescu, 62, filed his candidacy in Bucharest on Friday. The Central Election Bureau (BEC) had a 48-hour window to either accept or reject his nomination. The BEC’s decision was influenced by a ruling from Romania’s Constitutional Court, which stated that Georgescu did not comply with electoral regulations, deeming it unacceptable for him to be a candidate in the reset election process.
In response to the BEC’s ruling, hundreds of angry protesters gathered outside the Bureau’s headquarters, brandishing Romanian flags and chanting, “The last resort is another revolution!” The unrest escalated as some demonstrators clashed with riot police, throwing stones and damaging property.
Georgescu condemned the BEC’s decision as a “direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide,” asserting that the implications of losing democracy in Romania would affect the entire democratic world. He continued to express discontent on social media, labeling Europe as a “dictatorship” and Romania as being under “tyranny.”
The BEC’s rejection of Georgescu occurred following the Constitutional Court’s unprecedented annulment of the first-round election results, which surfaced amid allegations of a Russian campaign aimed at advancing his candidacy as an independent. The aftermath of the court’s decision has plunged Romania into a significant political crisis.
Compounding the turmoil, prosecutors have initiated a criminal investigation against Georgescu for alleged incitement against the constitutional order, promotion of fascist groups, and dishonest electoral practices. Despite these challenges, he had received limited support in earlier polls and had declared no expenditures during his campaign.
Pending the rerun election scheduled for May 4, with a potential runoff on May 18 if necessary, the deadline for candidacy applications is set for March 15. Notably, both the incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan and Crin Antonescu, from Romania’s governing coalition, registered their candidacies amid the tumultuous backdrop.
George Simion, leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, echoed Georgescu’s sentiments against the electoral decision, calling it a sustained abuse and a continuation of a coup d’état. Prominent figures like U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk have also criticized Romania’s annulment of the election, with Musk describing the decision as “crazy.”
The unrest in Romania’s capital underscores the contentious political landscape following the disqualification of far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from the presidential redo election. As protests continue against the electoral body’s decision, allegations of Russian influence and criminal investigations add complexity to the situation. The upcoming elections in May will be crucial as tensions and public sentiment evolve amidst these unprecedented political episodes.
Original Source: www.wdio.com
