Romanian election chaos: Georgescu's ban sparks unrest
The Romanian Central Electoral Office rejected the candidacy of the far-right, pro-Russian Calin Georgescu in the presidential elections on Saturday, his spokesperson announced on Sunday. Georgescu's supporters attempted to breach the police cordon and storm the commission building. Paving stones and tear gas were used during the incident.
Georgescu characterised the commission's decision as a "a direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide!".
"I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It’s that simple!" he wrote on the X platform. "Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!"
"This is madness," commented Elon Musk, a billionaire and advisor to President Donald Trump, also on the X platform, regarding the invalidation of the candidacy.
The decision by the Central Electoral Office can still be appealed in the Constitutional Court, reminded the Bloomberg agency.
Riots in front of the Central Electoral Office headquarters
Georgescu supporters gathered before the Central Electoral Office's headquarters in Bucharest. After the Office announced its decision, they broke through the police barriers and attempted to storm the building. The authorities used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Clashes occurred between demonstrators and the gendarmerie. The cotidianul.ro website reported that some protesters began removing and throwing paving stones at the police. Bushes in front of the office headquarters were also set on fire.
Many demonstrators held Romanian flags and chanted: "Another revolution is the last resort!".
The riots spread to neighbouring streets, where numerous groups of demonstrators threw bottles, firecrackers, and stones at the police. Some lit bonfires in the middle of the streets.
The police, as confirmed by their spokesperson, used tear gas several times to disperse the aggressive demonstrators. They also detained at least two aggressive demonstrators and checked the identities of dozens of individuals.
A police report indicates that a group of demonstrators overturned a Digi24 news television vehicle. At the time of the attack, no journalists were in the vehicle.
Two police officers were injured during the clashes.
The decision of the Central Electoral Office does not mark the end of the issues
Georgescu, a far-right politician, unexpectedly won the first round of presidential elections on 24 November. However, in early December, the Romanian Constitutional Court decided not to recognise the election results and ordered a rerun. The court argued that Georgescu's campaign team had violated electoral law and engaged in non-transparent campaign financing, and it also noted possible Russian interference in the electoral process.
The Romanian prosecution initiated an investigation into Georgescu on suspicions of election misconduct. He was accused, among other things, of irregularities in financing the presidential campaign, promoting anti-Semitic content, spreading hate speech, and acting against the constitutional order. The Bloomberg agency reminded the Romanian prosecution that if Georgescu is found guilty, he may face imprisonment and be barred from running for public office.
