Romania prevents leading candidate from participating in delayed presidential election

Romania’s central election authority has made a decision to disqualify Calin Georgescu, a popular candidate and leading contender, from participating in the upcoming presidential election re-run in May.

After the verdict, Georgescu expressed his discontent by stating, “Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!” in a social media post. He continued, “I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall!”

The Trump administration has been closely monitoring Romania’s presidential election saga after it was nullified in May due to accusations of Russian interference in favor of Georgescu.

SpaceX CEO and DOGE leader Elon Musk chimed in and shared his reaction to the decision.

Calin Georgescu, the independent candidate for presidency who won the first round of presidential elections, speaks after an interview with the Associated Press in Izvorani, Romania, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Romania’s Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the election two days ahead of the Dec. 8 runoff after Georgescu’s first-round win. He had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending, according to The Associated Press. Allegations of Russian interference and electoral violations quickly emerged. After the election cancelation, prosecutors launched an investigation into alleged campaign funding fraud, as well as alleged antisemitism and hate speech. 

The Trump administration has criticized Romania for canceling last year’s presidential election, with Vice President JD Vance alleging that the court’s ruling was based on “flimsy suspicions” and “enormous pressure” from Romania’s neighbors.

JD Vance and Romania presidential frontrunner Georgescu. (Getty Images)

Vance said in December, “Romania straight up canceled the results of a presidential election based on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors.” 

He also warned European leaders that they cannot win a “democratic mandate” by “censoring your opponents or putting them in jail,” nor by “disregarding your basic electorate on questions like who gets to be a part of our shared society.” 

“To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old, entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election,” Vance said. 

Georgescu, a staunch critic of NATO and Western support for Ukraine, has sparked controversy in the past for describing Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders from the 1930s and 1940s as national heroes, according to The AP. 

He has also praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past as “a man who loves his country,” and has called Ukraine “an invented state.”

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]