Kalinu Georgescu banned from participating in Romanian presidential elections

(Patria) - The country's Central Electoral Bureau has banned Romanian far-right populist Kalinu Georgescu from participating in the repeat presidential elections in May, the BBC reported last night.

In December, the Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the first round of voting, in which he was first, after intelligence services revealed that Russia was involved in 800 TikTok profiles supporting him.

The Bureau rejected the candidacy due to, as it stated, "procedural issues", without further details.

Georgescu called the decision a "direct blow" to democracy. He now has 24 hours from Sunday's ruling to file an official appeal, and a decision is expected within 72 hours.

In a social media post, Georgescu called the ban a "direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide".

Tear gas was fired at Georgescu's supporters during violence between them and the police as thousands gathered outside the Bureau's office.

On February 26, Georgescu was arrested on his way to register as a candidate in the summer elections, which led tens of thousands of Romanians to march through the streets of Bucharest in protest.

He is accused of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order and membership in a neo-fascist organization. He denied all charges.

The sixty-two-year-old independent candidate came out of nowhere and won the first round of last year's elections, the results of which were annulled just a few days before the second round of voting.

One of the keys to his sudden popularity was his promise to "restore Romania's dignity" and end its subservience to the international organizations it belongs to, including NATO and the European Union.

Before last year's annulment, he told the BBC that he would cut off all support for Ukraine if elected.

Georgescu also received some support from the Trump administration.

Last month, US Vice President JD Vance accused Romania of annulling the elections based on "weak suspicions" from Romanian intelligence services and pressure from its neighbors.

Meanwhile, Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu accused Elon Musk of "a form of interference" in the Romanian elections, after the billionaire published several messages of support for Georgescu.