Calin Georgescu, a far-right populist, was detained by police following an investigation into election campaign fraud. This occurred after Georgescu unexpectedly won the first round of Romania’s presidential election last year.

He was apprehended during a traffic stop in Bucharest on Wednesday. Georgescu’s supporters claimed he was on his way to submit his candidacy for the upcoming May elections, following the annulment of the second-round run-off in December by the constitutional court.

Two right-wing populist parties have called upon their supporters to gather at the prosecutor’s office, where Georgescu is being questioned.

Romanian reports indicate that the police established barriers around the building. Prosecutors have made multiple allegations against Georgescu, including acts against the constitutional order and involvement in an extremist organization.

Prior to this development, opposition parties had initiated a no-confidence motion against Romania’s pro-European government. Additionally, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis resigned before impeachment proceedings were initiated due to the canceled December election.

Earlier this month, Iohannis declassified intelligence documents which suggested that hundreds of TikTok accounts were activated to support Georgescu. Romanian foreign intelligence attributed these actions to Russia, along with thousands of cyber-attacks and other acts of sabotage.

Georgescu’s communication team posted on X, asking “Where is democracy now?” and tagging President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and US Vice-President JD Vance.

Vance had previously accused Romania of nullifying the elections based on “flimsy suspicions” from Romanian intelligence and significant pressure from neighboring countries.

Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu accused Elon Musk of interfering in Romania’s elections after the billionaire expressed support for Georgescu through several messages.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70eky7l6pxo