Following overnight riots in Bucharest after a court ruling, Calin Georgescu, a far-right candidate, has been disqualified from the May presidential election rerun.
Referring to the events, Georgescu stated in a Facebook video, “We are committed to pursuing the same values together: peace, democracy, freedom.”
This development and the disturbances in the capital come after the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) announced on Sunday that it had invalidated Georgescu’s candidacy for the May 4 election.
![Calin Georgescu, running as an independent candidate for president, speaks to media [File: Alexandru Dobre/AP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AP24329817700192-1-1732494989.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513)
The BEC’s decision was quickly met with protests by Georgescu’s supporters at the electoral commission’s headquarters. Attended by a substantial police force, the gathering soon turned violent. Protesters stormed through security blockades, overturned a broadcast van reportedly linked to a television station supportive of Georgescu’s opposition, and set fires.
The police responded with tear gas as protesters threw stones and fireworks.
Some social media posts exaggerated the situation, claiming Romania was on the brink of turmoil, with fears of revolution or border closures. CBS News in the United States reported the country as tipping into “chaos.” However, the extent of the violence and the size of the protests were relatively contained.
‘European dictatorship’: The Rift and Controversy
Calin Georgescu’s candidacy has thrust Romania into the heart of divisions between Europe and the administration of US President Donald Trump over military spending and the nature of democracy. Georgescu emerged as a leading contender in the first round of the election in November but the results were later annulled due to suspected Russian interference. The EU has praised Romania’s judicial independence, while US Vice President JD Vance suggested that Romania does not share US values.
Currently under criminal investigation on several charges including misinformation about campaign financing, Georgescu claims the ruling indicates Europe is transforming into a “dictatorship.” He warns, “If democracy falls in Romania, the entire democratic world will fall.” If the BEC’s decision stands, the ultranationalist parties that supported Georgescu’s campaign (representing 35 percent of seats in the Romanian Parliament) could find themselves without a candidate in the election.
