Romanian Constitutional Court excludes neo-Nazi, pro-Russian extremist from presidential elections, Roma organization welcomes the decision

The Constitutional Court decision has been condemned by some ultra-right politicians in Romania. One important Roma organization has welcomed the exclusion of Georgescu from the election.

The Constitutional Court of Romania handed down a unanimous decision on Tuesday, March 11 rejecting Georgescu’s appeal against the electoral commission’s decision to exclude him. His candidacy was rejected on suspicion of extremist activities and pro-Russian interference.

Georgescu, who surprisingly won the first round of voting in November, has disseminated disinformation, promoted war crimes, and supported antisemitism, according to the prosecutor. Hundreds of Georgescu’s supporters protested the decision outside the courthouse, shouting slogans such as “Thieves!”.

George Simion, the leader of the ultra-right group called the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), called the court’s decision an “attack on democracy”. Georgescu called on his supporters to follow their consciences when choosing other candidates.

The head of the center-right opposition group Save Romania Union, Elena Lasconi, then called for moderation. “I get it that some people are angry and others are happy over this decision. We cannot celebrate without thinking of the consequences, though – frustration, intensifying conflicts, and growing distrust of our institutions. Our democracy is fragile and such a decision should remain an exception, not the rule,” she posted to Facebook.

Hatred of minorities as a political program

Georgescu’s political career has long been linked to extremist positions, including harsh rhetoric against minorities and open antisemitism. In the past, for instance, he has called the Roma a “threat to the national identity of Romania” and called for limiting their rights.

The former candidate’s nationalist agenda, combined with his pro-Russian orientation, has been sparking fears of further radicalization in Romania. In a statement posted to Facebook, the Roma for Democracy Romania organization welcomed the decision of the electoral commission as a step toward protecting democracy there: “This decision is an important step in protecting the democratic and constitutional values of Romania. […] we express our confidence that the state institutions will act in accordance with existing law and jurisdiction to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. Roma for Democracy… will continue to closely monitor the developments related to this electoral process.”

Support from Russia and from western populists

Georgescu surprisingly won the first round of the presidential elections in November 2024. However, those results were annulled by the Constitutional Court just before the second round, based on declassified security documents which suggested Russia had interfered in the election.

The politician is also being investigated by the prosecutor in Romania on suspicion of disseminating falsified information, promoting Fascist and neo-Nazi organizations, promoting war crimes, and setting up an antisemitic association. He denies violating the law.

Despite all of this, Georgescu still enjoys great support from the Romanian public. Current polls say he would win about 40 % of the votes in the May elections if he were running.

The AFP reports that Georgescu’s advocates include the billionaire Elon Musk or U. S. Vice President J. D. Vance. He is also close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Associated Press reported on 12 March that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said any elections for the presidency held in Romania without Georgescu’s participation “will have no legitimacy”. The repeat of the presidential election will happen on 4 May.