The Albany Gazette - Far-right Romania politician loses appeal against presidential vote ban

Romania's electoral bureau on Sunday had rejected Georgescu's candidacy for the May re-run of last year's annulled presidential election, sparking violent clashes and plunging the EU and NATO member bordering war-torn Ukraine into deeper uncertainty.

Georgescu had filed an appeal challenging that decision. But the constitutional court on Tuesday rejected it.

"The appeal was rejected unanimously," the court said in a statement. Its reasoning was to be published later.

The ruling cannot be appealed further in Romania, spelling the end of Georgescu's meteoric rise since he shot to prominence last November, when he unexpectedly topped a first round of presidential voting. The election was cancelled before the second round could take place.

George Simion, who leads the far-right AUR party lending its support to Georgescu, accused the court of "mocking the Romanian people" and "attacking our democracy and our essential rights and freedoms".

- 'Thieves' -

Outside the court, several hundred Georgescu supporters shouted "thieves" after news of the court's decision spread.

"This is no longer a democracy. What are we living in? A dictatorship," Marius Vasile, a 51-year-old pensioner, told AFP earlier.

"We want to elect whom we want... It's him (Georgescu) we want. We don't want anyone else," said Marinela Simona Cheosa, a 45-year-old engineer waving a big Romanian flag.

Georgescu, a 62-year-old former senior government official, filed his appeal on Monday, saying the decision to bar him was "blatantly unlawful".

The fierce EU and NATO critic unexpectedly won the first round of a presidential election last November as an independent candidate.

In a shock move -- rare in the EU -- Romania's constitutional court annulled the ballot shortly before the second round in December, after claims of Russian meddling and a "massive" social media promotion of Georgescu.

Georgescu, who previously expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin but more recently presented himself as "ultra pro" US President Donald Trump, denies any links to Moscow.

In a statement on Sunday, the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) said it had rejected Georgescu's candidacy for May's re-run based on the top court's annulment of the November ballot.

Hundreds rallied against the decision late Sunday, with clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers leaving 13 injured.

Three men aged 43, 48 and 50 have been indicted for allegedly committing "acts of violence" during the protests, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Senior members of the US administration have thrown their weight behind Georgescu, who polls predicted could have won around 40 percent of votes in the May re-run.

"This is crazy!" Trump adviser Elon Musk wrote on X on Sunday in response to the electoral bureau's decision.

(K.Lee--TAG)