Romanian election body rejects candidacy of far-right populist Calin Georgescu in presidential rerun

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s electoral body on Sunday rejected Calin Georgescu’s candidacy in the presidential election rerun, after the far-right populist won the first round of last year’s race before a top court annulled the election.

The 62-year-old Georgescu filed his candidacy on Friday in the capital, Bucharest. The Central Election Bureau, also known by its Romanian acronym BEC, had 48 hours to register or reject it.

It wasn't immediately clear on what grounds his candidacy was rejected, but the BEC said that a full text of its decision would later be published on its website. The decision can be appealed at the Constitutional Court within 24 hours.

The BEC's rejection came after Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the first-round results two days before the Dec. 8 runoff, after allegations emerged that Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote the outsider. At the time, Georgescu, who ran as an independent, denounced the court’s decision as an “officialized coup” and an attack on democracy.

George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, who had backed Georgescu’s bid, reacted to BEC’s decision on Sunday by calling it “a new abuse and a continuation of the coup d’état.”

“Down with Ciolacu, down with the dictators!” he said in a post on Facebook, referring to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

Last month, prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against Georgescu, accusing him of “incitement to actions against the constitutional order,” supporting fascist groups and false declarations of electoral campaign funding and asset disclosures.

Before the Nov. 24 election, Georgescu, who is under judicial control and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending. Allegations quickly emerged of electoral violations and Russian interference. Moscow denied that it had meddled in the election.

The first round of the rerun is scheduled for May 4. If no candidate wins more than 50% of ballots, a runoff will follow on May 18. The deadline for presidential candidacy applications is March 15 at midnight.