Bucharest (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Romanian far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu will challenge a decision to ban him from running in a rerun of the election in May, a source told Reuters.
Georgescu announced his presidential bid after allegations of Russian meddling in his favour encouraged Romania’s Constitutional Court to annul the original election in December. Moscow rejected the allegations of meddling. Georgescu had been the shock frontrunner in last year’s ballot, and members of Trump’s government called its cancellation an example of European governments squashing freedom of speech and political opponents.
What legal challenges is Georgescu facing ahead of elections?
He is under criminal probe on six counts, including membership in a fascist association and communicating incorrect information about campaign financing. He has rejected any wrongdoing.
On March 9, 2025, Romania’s central election authority stated it had decided to bar Georgescu’s candidacy, stating it was inadmissible after the Constitutional Court annulled the December vote.
How might the court’s ruling impact far-right parties?
Analysts have stated it is unlikely that the top court will authorise Georgescu to race again for the presidency in Romania, a member state of the European Union and NATO which shares a long boundary with Ukraine.
The court fixed a precedent in October when it stopped the candidacy of another far-right candidate, claiming that her anti-European, pro-Russian statements made her unsuitable for office.
According to reports, if the court supports the central election authority’s decision, the three ultranationalist groups, which carry 35% of seats in parliament and which supported Georgescu’s previous bid for the presidency, risk including no candidate in the May election.
The revocation on December 6 of the presidential election due to accusations of Russian meddling in Georgescu’s favour has forced Romania to the heart of a conflict between the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and European countries over how democratic values should be determined.
