The former poster child of democratic transitions finally showed its real face.
One that is tainted by the long shadow of its totalitarian past, more specifically the subtle (or not so subtle), but ever-present influence of its multiple secret services on its political life, rife with white-washed (or not so white-washed) corruption and influence peddling.
On the same week when Turkey was declared a ‘full-blown autocracy’ (when Istanbul University annulled the degree of Ekrem Imamoglu, President Erdogan’s main political opponent, with that effectively barring him from joining the race for the presidential seat), Romania took a hauntingly similar step.
On March 11, Romania’s Constitutional Court confirmed that Calin Georgescu (a ‘far-right’, supposedly ‘pro-Russian’ candidate) was barred from running in the re-run presidential elections. (A quick reminder: Georgescu won the first round in November. A few days later, the Constitutional Court ordered a rerun, claiming that the election was derailed by foreign interference.)
The decision came at the end of a series of actions by various state actors, all serving the same goal: preventing Georgescu from running.
At the end of February, Georgescu was indicted on six charges, including incitement to undermine the constitutional order, spreading false information, and founding an anti-Semitic organisation.
On March 10, the country’s Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) invalidated Georgescu’s candidacy ‘due to his failure to comply with the electoral regulations’.
The Constitutional Court’s decision is final.
On a side note, Georgescu wasn’t the first candidate barred from running for the post. Diana Şoşoacă, another far-right candidate was also blocked from running (twice, in fact, as she tried to enter the rerun, but got rejected again). The reasons? ‘Her public discourse, including opposition to Romania’s European Union and NATO memberships, made her unfit to uphold the constitutional obligations of the presidency.’
Interestingly, George Simion, another far-right firebrand, known for his ultranationalist views (and not much more NATO- or EU-friendly than any of the other ‘far-right’ candidates and who is also under criminal investigation for inciting violence and is barred from both Ukraine and Moldova for various security concerns) was allowed to run.
It happened in the name of the Greater Good, without doubt.
After the latest ban, Georgescu said that the events ‘dealt a direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide’. Şoşoacă voiced similar views, saying ‘the democratic system has been destroyed and the elections have already been rigged’.
They were joined by many from all around the globe, for example by Elon Musk, who slammed the ban on X, posting ‘this is crazy’.
US Vice President JD Vance has repeatedly criticized Romania, pointing out that ‘if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with’. He called the accusations of foreign interference ‘flimsy suspicions of Romanian intelligence’.
Washington is reported to be considering the deferral of Romania’s visa waiver (just freshly in force), ‘to ensure adherence to VWP’s stringent security requirements’ – speculation immediately started to link the decision to the country’s recent political turmoil.
So far, the European Union, normally ever-present when it comes to defending the rule of law and democracy, has been silent on Romania, focusing their criticism on Turkey and its undemocratic processes.
For example, when Romania’s National Audiovisual Council (CAN) removed a video in which a journalist argued that the Central Electoral Bureau’s decision regarding Georgescu was basically a coup d’état – many experts pointed out that it was a clear violation of the right of freedom of speech.
Yet, the answer from the EU was … mostly silence. (Notable exceptions include Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister who called the rejection of Georgescu’s candidacy a ‘Soviet-style Euro-coup’.)
Brussels’ self-restraint is understandable, though. A far-right candidate could eventually turn the country into a more Euro-sceptic version of itself or could push the country into closer alignment with President Trump, for example.
