Romania's electoral bureau has disqualified far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from running in the presidential election re-run, multiple Romanian channels announced on March 9.
The bureau noted that the reasoning behind their decision would be posted to their website shortly.
The repeat elections are set for May 8 and 22 after the first round in November was annulled due to allegations of Russian interference favoring Georgescu.
The Romanian foreign intelligence agency (SIE) reported that "aggressive Russian hybrid attacks, including cyberattacks, information leaks, and sabotage" contributed to Georgescu's unexpected victory.
Georgescu was detained by police on Feb. 26 and charged by prosecutors for alleged crimes related to the country's recent elections.
He filed his candidacy on March 7 in Bucharest, after which the bureau had 48 hours to either approve or deny it.
Georgescu’s supporters condemned the disqualification move as politically motivated, and several dozen people gathered outside the election bureau, chanting "Freedom", while briefly attempting to break through the security barrier.
The right-wing leader spoke out on X about the bureau's decision, accusing Romania of being under tyranny. "Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!" he wrote.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk shared multiple posts that were critical about the decision, and commented on it too.
“This is crazy!” Musk wrote.
The disqualification can be challenged in court if Georgescu chooses to do so.
Georgescu, a pro-Russian candidate has previously referred to Ukraine as a "fictional state."
He has said that if elected president, he would ban Ukrainian grain exports through Romania and halt further military aid to Ukraine.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
