Romanian Election Ban Sparks Violent Street Protests
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Chaos erupted in Bucharest when supporters of presidential frontrunner Călin Georgescu took to the streets Sunday evening, enraged by the Central Electoral Bureau’s decision to block his candidacy following last year’s annulled November elections where he had secured a first-round victory.
The streets of Romania’s capital turned violent as supporters of the populist-nationalist leader confronted law enforcement, hurling stones and fireworks while setting fires throughout central Bucharest. The unrest came in direct response to the Bureau’s ruling, made by a panel of judges and party representatives, to prevent the independent candidate from participating in the upcoming presidential election.
Demonstrators gathered near both the Bureau’s headquarters and Romania’s central bank. During the tumultuous protests, demonstrators overturned a television news truck belonging to a major national broadcaster.
According to Digi24, Romanian media outlet, the agency voted 10-4 against Georgescu’s candidacy, citing his failure to “respect the rules of the electoral procedure” and violation of his “obligation to defend democracy.”
This is INSANE
Romania has BANNED Calin Georgescu from running for President.
He won the first round of elections before they overturned it.
Now he is leading the polls again.
So the EU which endlessly lectures about “Democracy” simply banned him from running.
Riots are… pic.twitter.com/dkHPnWyXge
— Ben Swann (@BenSwann_) March 10, 2025
This latest development follows Georgescu’s arrest last month on multiple charges, including “incitement to actions against the constitutional order,” “communication of false information,” making “false statements,” and “initiation or establishment of an organization with a fascist, racist, or xenophobic character.”
Georgescu had captured international attention in November after his unexpected victory in the presidential election’s first round. However, the Constitutional Court of Romania subsequently annulled the election amid allegations of Russian interference supporting his campaign.
Romanian riot police confronted protesters near the Central Electoral Bureau in Bucharest on March 9, 2025, following the rejection of Georgescu’s candidacy for the upcoming election. Georgescu, known for his previous admiration of Russian President Putin and criticism of the EU and NATO, can appeal the decision to Romania’s constitutional court. Current polling shows him leading with approximately 40 percent support.
While critics have labeled him pro-Russian and anti-NATO, Georgescu maintains he represents a “Romania First” platform similar to Donald Trump’s approach in America, arguing that improved relations with Moscow and peace in Ukraine would serve Romanian interests.
🇷🇴 Călin Georgescu along the leaders of the sovereignist parties AUR & POT:
Remain calm, don’t lose hope, we move forward
Georgescu will file an appeal at the Constitutional Court against the decision of the Electoral Bureau to reject his candidacy pic.twitter.com/gLDGnHFPVY
— Daily Romania (@daily_romania) March 10, 2025
Responding to the Bureau’s decision, Georgescu wrote: “Another direct blow to the heart of democracy around the world!”
“I have only one message: if the democracy in Romania will fall, the whole democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It’s just that simple! Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!”
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini condemned the decision as a “Soviet-style Euro-coup.”
“First they annul — with the polls open — the elections he was winning, then they arrest him, then they even exclude him from the elections for fear that he will win. Rather than ‘rearm Europe,’ we must re-found it to defend Democracy,” Salvini wrote.
U.S. Senator Mike Lee also criticized the ruling, stating: “Leftists love kicking their opponents off of ballots. Where have we seen that before?” Meanwhile, Elon Musk described the situation as “crazy.”
