Romanian presidential frontrunner Calin Georgescu has been barred from running in a new election for the nation’s head of state.
Chaos broke out in Romania’s capital Bucharest on Sunday night as supporters of the right-wing populist protested the Central Election Bureau’s (BEC) decision to reject his candidacy.
The 62-year-old filed his candidacy on Friday, giving the electoral body 48 hours to register or reject it.
In its decision, issued Sunday, the BEC cited the country’s Constitutional Court ruling last year to cancel the election, arguing it was ordered due to “the candidate’s failure to comply with electoral regulations.”
“It would be unacceptable for the restarted election process to consider the same individual as eligible for the presidency,” the BEC said.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside BEC’s headquarters, with many waving Romanian flags and chanting, “The last resort is another revolution!”
Some threw broken paving stones and other objects at riot police dispatched, while others flipped a news vehicle and set a bush alight.
In the video confirming he would appeal, Georgescu also urged supporters to avoid violent protests “like [those] we saw yesterday evening.”
Georgescu branded the decision “a direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide!”
“Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!”
The BEC’s rejection of Georgescu’s candidacy came after the Constitutional Court annulled the first-round results two days before the Dec. 8 runoff, following allegations Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote him.
This decision thrust the country into months of political turmoil, and has drawn criticism from U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Last month, prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against Georgescu, accusing him of “incitement to actions against the constitutional order,” supporting fascist groups and false declarations of electoral campaign funding and asset disclosures.
Before the Nov. 24 election, Georgescu, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending.
Allegations soon emerged of electoral impropriety and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied.
Georgescu has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and questioned Ukraine’s statehood, but says that he’s not pro-Russia.
The first round of the rerun is scheduled for May 4 and, if no candidate wins more than half of the votes, a runoff will follow on May 18.
The deadline for applications for the role of president is midnight on March 15.
George Simion, the leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians party, who had backed Georgescu, labelled his exclusion as “a new abuse and a continuation of the coup d’état.”
Elon Musk also reacted to the decision on X saying, “This is crazy!”
Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan also filed his candidacy for president on Friday as an independent under the campaign slogan “Honest Romania.”
The BEC registered his candidacy on Sunday.
Crin Antonescu, the candidate backed by Romania’s governing coalition, also registered his presidential bid the same day.
