Romania: Far-right candidate Georgescu barred from election – DW – 03/09/2025
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Calin Georgescu had been leading in opinion polls with around 40% of the vote. He is expected to appeal the decision to exclude him from the election.

Summary

Romania’s electoral commission barred far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from the presidential election without explanation.

Georgescu, who led polls with 40%, called the move “a direct blow to democracy” and plans to appeal. His supporters protested in Bucharest.

The constitutional court annulled his prior election win over alleged Russian interference, which he denies. He faces legal issues, including accusations of financing violations and extremist ties.

A vocal Trump supporter, Georgescu received backing from Trump officials, including Elon Musk and JD Vance, who condemned Romania’s actions.

  • @tudorEnglish
    1•2 days ago

    Great example of the paradox of tolerance.

    It’s good that Romania is defending its democracy - Georgescu is a fraud as much as he is a clown, clearly unfit for office as he will not uphold the rule of law and will abuse his power.

    With that said, where do you draw the line when barring people from running? Some will see this as an attack of democracy itself, in which anyone is allowed to run for office and is elected by the people. Blocking adversaries from running isn’t exactly the definition of democracy.

    Unless the secret service declassifies its evidence that Georgescu is in any way affiliated or promoted by Russia, I see this going downward, with him and his ideology getting even more supporters due to this paradox of tolerance.