BUCHAREST, Romania — A top Romanian court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by far-right politician Calin Georgescu to lift a ban on his candidacy in the presidential rerun. He won the first round of last year’s race before the same court annulled the election.
The ruling by the Constitutional Court in the capital Bucharest, which was unanimous, came two days after the Central Election Bureau rejected Georgescu’s candidacy for the May election.
It wasn’t immediately clear on what grounds the court made Tuesday’s decision, which is final.
Hundreds of Georgescu supporters who had gathered near the court, many waving Romanian flags, responded by chanting “Thieves!”
The bureau had cited in its decision Sunday the Constitutional Court’s ruling last year to cancel the elections after claims of electoral violations and that Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote Georgescu, who ran as an independent. The decision to cancel the election was made two days before the Dec. 8 runoff.
Georgescu on Sunday denounced his ban as “a direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide” and said, “Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!”
The first round of the rerun is scheduled for May 4. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the ballots, a runoff will follow on May 18.
Romania’s far-right — which holds about a third of seats in the country’s legislature — will likely seek to replace Georgescu’s candidacy, the deadline for which is Saturday at midnight. Many observers have speculated that his close political ally, George Simion, could take up the mantle.
The court’s final decision came after prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against Georgescu last month, accusing him of “incitement to actions against the constitutional order,” supporting fascist groups and false declarations of electoral campaign funding and asset disclosures.
Before the Nov. 24 election, Georgescu, who is under judicial control and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, had polled in the single digits and declared zero campaign spending. Claims quickly emerged of electoral violations and Russian interference. Moscow denied that it had meddled in the election.
Georgescu has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and questioned Ukraine’s statehood in the past, but says that he’s not pro-Russia.
Romania’s decision to annul the election, and this week’s ban on Georgescu’s candidacy in the redo, has been strongly criticized by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk and Moscow.
Russian state news agency Tass quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Tuesday that any election without Georgescu’s participation, “Will have no legitimacy.” That remark came a day after Musk asked in a post on his X account: “How can a judge end democracy in Romania?”
Elena Lasconi, the leader of the Save Romania Union party, who was set to face Georgescu in the scheduled runoff last year, said after the court’s decision that “Romanians need to regain their confidence in the institutions” and that “We are more divided than ever!”
“I understand that some people are angry and others are happy about this decision,” she wrote on Facebook. “But we cannot celebrate without thinking that there are still consequences: frustration, deepening divisions and growing distrust in our institutions. … Our democracy is fragile and such a decision should remain an exception, not a rule.”
Calin Georgescu, the winner of the first round of presidential elections, later annulled by the Constitutional Court, speaks to media after registering his new bid for the country’s presidency outside Romania’s Electoral Authority, in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Supporters of Calin Georgescu react during a protest after Romania’s Constitutional Court upheld a ban on his candidacy in the presidential election rerun, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A supporter of Calin Georgescu screams during a protest after Romania’s Constitutional Court upheld a ban on his candidacy in the presidential election rerun, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A woman holds a portrait of Calin Georgescu during a protest after Romania’s Constitutional Court upheld a ban on his candidacy in the presidential election rerun, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A woman screams holding a cross in front of riot policemen blocking a street following clashes with supporters of Calin Georgescu after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)