Georgescu's appeal against ban from presidential elections rejected

(Patria) - Romanian far-right politician Calin Georgescu's appeal against the decision to ban him from running in the country's repeat presidential elections was rejected yesterday.

The Romanian Electoral Commission banned Georgescu from running in the May presidential elections on Sunday, sparking violent clashes and pushing the EU and NATO member, which borders war-torn Ukraine, into deeper uncertainty.

Georgescu appealed the decision. However, the Constitutional Court rejected his appeal yesterday.

"The appeal was unanimously rejected," the court announced. The reasoning will be published later.

There can be no further appeal against the ruling in Romania, marking the end of Georgescu's meteoric rise last November, when he unexpectedly won the first round of the presidential elections. The elections were canceled before the second round was held.

George Simion, leader of the far-right AUR party which supports Georgescu, accused the court of "mocking the Romanian people" and "attacking our democracy and our fundamental rights and freedoms".

Several hundred of Georgescu's supporters chanted "thieves" in front of the courthouse after the news of the court's decision spread.

A fierce critic of the EU and NATO, he unexpectedly won the first round of the presidential elections last November as an independent candidate.

In a shocking move, rare in the EU, the Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the vote just before the second round in December, following claims of Russian interference and "massive" promotion of Georgescu on social media.

Georgescu, who has previously expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and recently presented himself as a strong supporter of US President Donald Trump, denies any ties to Moscow.