Romanian Far-right Populist Stopped from Running in Presidential Race

Elijah Novak

Staff Writer

Far-Right protestors have lined the streets in Romania’s capital Bucharest as hundreds call out what they see as a failing of democracy. Călin Georgescu, the 62-year-old leader of the Romanian Far-Right populist movement, was notified by the Central Election Bureau (BEC) that his presidential bid was denied. 

The former agronomist turned politician shocked everyone in November when he won the first round of presidential elections as an Independent. The rise of the Tik-Tok sensation politician was expedient, but has had its challenges reports The Associated Press. Călin Georgescu has created a political personality around his pro-Russian and anti-NATO views. He often praises Putin for being “a man who loves his country” according to the local Romanian news source Libertatea.  

Georgescu frames himself as a politician who stands up for the traditional Romanian values. He often describes former fascist and anti-Semitic Romanian government officials as national heroes says The Associated Press. Yet, outside his far-right populist rhetoric, the critical issue that arises has been much more bureaucratic. After his historic win in December, the court declared the results invalid, citing Russian meddling, and false statements referring to campaign financing. Georgescu’s personal and political work has been watched heavily for the last six months under judicial investigation according to another article from The Associated Press.

 The far-right Populist leader’s biggest blow was the denial of the opportunity to run in the presidential election. The BEC took into consideration the scandal of the November elections and in a statement to Romanian news agency ActMedia stated that “the Constitutional Court implicitly and universally ruled on the failure to meet the legal conditions for the registration of the candidacy submitted by Călin Georgescu.” 

Călin Georgescu’s denial of a presidential bid was immediately appealed by his campaign. In a message to his supporters he has called the denial  “a direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide,” reports The Guardian. On March 11, the appeal was denied, and Georgescu’s presidential campaign had ended. Georgescu’s reaction to this denial has been framed as a lamentation for Romanian democracy. 

Romania has a historical precedent for denying far-right politicians and ultranationalists from running for president, and Georgescu’s denial was not the only recent denial. Ultranationalist Diana Șoșoacă was also denied just last year reports Politico. According to The Associated Press, Georgescu stated “Democracy and freedom are taking their last breath, and that is why, more than ever, we must show, democratically and peacefully, that our choice matters until the very end.” 

Georgescu’s lamentation is now turned into political motivations of Romania’s far-right to “restore democracy and the rule of law.” A power vacuum has now opened up in response to the denial of Georgescu’s presidential bid as the 35 percent of Romanian Parliament held by the far-right no longer has a candidate says Reuters. The fact that the Romanian Government has ruled that they need to completely redo the election process due to this invalidation has put many other candidates in a rush to gain supporters. 

On March 15, the presidential bid of far-right politician and leader of the Alliance of the Union of Romanians (AUR) George Simion was accepted. Although coming in fourth in the annulled elections of November of 2024, Simion is expected to gain support after Georgescu’s denial of a Presidential bid according to Politico. 

Internationally the denial of Georgescu’s presidential bid has caused many right wing and conservative politicians to call out what they see as the denial of freedom and democracy. Elon Musk’s response to Georgescu’s denial on X, formerly know as Twitter, states “this is crazy”, while American Vice President  JD Vance shared that Romania no longer shares the American values of freedom and democracy, reports The Guardian. Far-right leaders spanning Europe have stated that the Romanian government is corrupt, and that democracy has failed. Whether it is a failure of democracy or the preservation of the rule of law, the denial of the presidential bid has led to an increase of questioning from the international view. What cannot be denied is that the elections May will be intense as the Romanian democracy itself is at question. As for Călin Georgescu, his political career is far from over. The denial of the presidential bid is only for this year’s elections. A career in politics is still in the cards for Georgescu, so a return may be possible in the coming years. 

Image courtesy of Getty Images.