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Romania: Rejection of Călin Georgescu’s candidacy sets the country ablaze

10 mars 2025
Veritatis


On 9 March 2025, the Romanian Electoral Commission (Central Electoral Office, BEC) rejected Călin Georgescu’s candidacy in the presidential election scheduled for next May, plunging Romania further into an already deep political crisis. The decision, announced without detailed explanation, provoked a wave of anger among supporters of the far-right candidate, culminating in spontaneous demonstrations in Bucharest, where security forces used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Here is a look back at the events, the supposed reasons for this rejection, its democratic implications and the reactions it provoked.

What happened?

Călin Georgescu, without a party, had submitted his candidacy last Friday for the presidential election rescheduled for May 4, 2025, after the controversial cancellation of the November 2024 election, where he came out on top in the first round with about 22% of the vote. This cancellation, decided by the Constitutional Court in December, had been motivated by suspicions of Russian interference, in particular via an illicit promotional campaign on TikTok, without any tangible evidence having been provided. Since then, Georgescu, who was charged on February 26 with  » false statements  » about the financing of his campaign and  » incitement to disturb the constitutional order “, has remained under judicial control.

The rejection of his candidacy by the BEC comes in a tense context: more than 1,200 complaints have been filed against him with the Commission, according to media sources. Although the precise reasons for this invalidation have not been officially specified, they could be linked to these judicial accusations or administrative irregularities in his file. Georgescu has 24 hours to appeal to the Constitutional Court, but the outcome remains uncertain and above all would be judged by the same judges! An independence between the powers that raises the question: who really controls Romania and what are the external influences that could have affected the Constitutional Court?

The reaction was not long in coming. On the evening of 9 March, hundreds of his supporters gathered in front of the BEC headquarters in Bucharest, chanting «  Freedom  » and trying to break through the security cordons. The gendarmes responded with tear gas, injuring at least one demonstrator with a blunt object. The situation, although under control according to the police, testifies to the growing exasperation of part of the population.

 

Why this rejection?

Călin Georgescu’s career has been marked by controversy. Little known before November 2024, this former senior civil servant saw his popularity explode thanks to a viral campaign on social networks, which fuelled suspicions of manipulation orchestrated from abroad, particularly by Russia. The Romanian authorities, supported by declassified documents, have pointed the finger at a “coordinated guerrilla war” on TikTok, artificially amplifying its notoriety. These allegations, although disputed by Georgescu and without definitive evidence made public, led to the annulment of the initial election.

His recent indictment for serious offences, combined with the alleged discovery of weapons and large sums of money in his home, has reinforced institutional mistrust of him. The rejection of his candidacy could thus be seen as an attempt to block the way of a figure deemed a threat to the democratic stability and pro-Western orientation of Romania, a member of the EU and NATO.

According to a post by Mario Nawfal: 

“New information indicates that Razvan Ionescu, head of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), gave the order to block the presidential candidacy of Calin Georgescu, raising serious questions about the interference of the deep state in the elections”

Serious democratic consequences

This decision raises crucial questions about the state of Romanian democracy. On the one hand, it can be interpreted as a measure to protect electoral integrity in the face of a candidate suspected of illegal practices and links with hostile foreign powers. On the other hand, it feeds the accusations of “electoral theft” and authoritarian drift, made by Georgescu and his supporters. The fact that a popular candidate, credited with nearly 40% of voting intentions in the polls, is excluded without a clear public justification risks eroding trust in the institutions.

The cancellation of the November election, followed by this exclusion, is a rare precedent in the European Union. It places Romania in a delicate position: a potential laboratory for “post-democratic governance”, where electoral processes are suspended or manipulated under the pretext of national security. Tensions with Brussels and Western partners could increase if this crisis persists.

Contrasting reactions

Călin Georgescu immediately denounced a “direct blow to democracy in the world” on X, calling Europe a  » dictatorship  » and Romania a  » tyranny “. His supporters, mobilised in the streets, share this indignation, seeing in this decision an attempt to muzzle their sovereign choice. “ Our vote was stolen from us once, and now we are being prevented from choosing ,” said one protester quoted by local media.

George Simion , president of AUR, the most represented Romanian party in parliament, also tweeted:

« The rejection of Călin Georgescu’s candidacy is a new insult and a continuation of the coup d’état of 6 December. Down with Ciolacu, down with the dictators. »

Internationally, figures such as Elon Musk and JD Vance, who had already supported Georgescu, could amplify this narrative. Musk called his indictment “nonsense,” while Vance criticized an arrest based on “tenuous suspicions.” Their involvement illustrates the global polarization around this case.

In Spain, Santiago Abascal reacted: “democracy is dying”

On the side of the Romanian authorities, the BEC’s silence contrasts with the repeated warnings against Moscow‘s “hybrid actions”. The pro-European government of Marcel Ciolacu, under pressure, seems determined to stay the course in the face of what it perceives as a populist and pro-Russian threat. However, this firmness risks stirring up internal divisions. Questions arise about the role of the SRI (Romanian intelligence service) and its proximity to the European pro-federalists in Brussels as well as the proximity to Kövesi. Pavel Popescu, former MP and vice-president of the Telecoms and Communication Authority in a debate on X (space) on march 9, 2025, explained that he was in favour of transparency and freedom of expression, however, he was the one who carried out the attack on TikTok. With very polite language, he explains without providing any evidence that it is in the interest of the population! He fails to express his closeness to Kövesi, chief prosecutor at the EPPO (European Public Prosecutor’s Office), and who is the subject of several investigations in Romania and a criminal complaint for coalition of officials and arbitrary infringement of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Belgian Constitution. This complaint, brought by Mr. Protat and Frédéric Baldan, has not been the subject of any communication in Romania. Are Pavel Popescu and his pro-European allies applying standards on transparency and communication in a variable geometry?

Interrogation

In addition, Romanian MP Neamtu said tonight in front of tonight’s demonstrations in Bucharest: “We see a lot of restaurants being destroyed. Who knows who infiltrated the crowd? You know, the tactics of Antifa and the BLM guys in Portland and Seattle did pretty much similar things. I’m not going to speculate. I’m just saying that it’s always dangerous to see violence in the streets, and I hope we don’t see people killed or anything like that. If that happens, I think the government will declare a state of emergency, and who knows, it might even postpone the elections.

 

Romania under tension

Since November 2024, Romania has been plunged into unprecedented political turmoil. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent months, both in support of Georgescu and to denounce his influence. The demonstrations of March 9, marked by the use of tear gas, symbolize this fracture. In Smardan, in the Danube delta, where Georgescu won 42% of the vote, his voters denounced a  » trampled democracy “.

However, the reactions of other presidential candidates are still awaited. Do they really prefer to see a popular candidate excluded from the elections or win the legitimate one? If this is the case, we would be faced with a real democratic scandal with a Pyrrhic victory looming. We have also not seen the reaction of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations, which is responsible for ensuring the democratic legitimacy of the elections.

In the run-up to the May election, the climate remains explosive. If the Constitutional Court validates the rejection of his candidacy, the risks of escalation are real. Romania, at the crossroads of Western and Eastern influences, is at a turning point: between the defence of its institutions and the fear of a crisis of legitimacy that could tip it into the unknown.





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