Romania's Constitutional Court rejects bid to block Georgescu from elections
Photo: Călin Georgescu, Romanian far-right politician (Getty Images)
The Constitutional Court of Romania has dismissed complaints filed against the candidacy of Călin Georgescu in the 2025 presidential election. His controversial victory in the first round of voting last November led to the cancellation of the election and its rescheduling, reports Romanian portal Digi24.
The judges reviewed two complaints filed against Georgescu's candidacy last Friday, as well as a separate complaint from another independent candidate who was barred from the election by the Central Election Commission. Following the hearing, all the complaints were deemed inadmissible.
"The court unanimously decided that they did not meet the legal requirements and were therefore rejected," stated the decision of the Constitutional Court of Romania.
The court's decision is final and will be published in the Official Gazette of Romania. As a result, the controversial candidate Georgescu will be able to run in the presidential election once again.
Romania's presidential election scandal
In 2024, Călin Georgescu, a far-right candidate, unexpectedly won the first round of voting in Romania's presidential election. He garnered 23% of the vote despite being considered an unlikely contender based on pre-election polls.
However, on December 6, 2024, just two days before the scheduled second round, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the results of the first round. The reason cited was reports of Russian interference in the election, particularly through the TikTok platform, to support Georgescu. An investigation uncovered a coordinated Russian campaign, including cyberattacks and payments to influencers to promote Georgescu's messages on social media.
After the annulment, a rerun of the election was scheduled for May 2025. In February 2025, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into Georgescu on charges of incitement to actions against the constitutional order, among other offenses. The court imposed restrictions on him, including a ban on leaving the country.
Despite these restrictions and the ongoing investigation, Georgescu has submitted his candidacy for the rerun of the election scheduled for May 2025. Meanwhile, media reports suggested that the Romanian authorities are attempting to prevent Georgescu from running.
