Description: Romania’s Central Election Bureau (BEC) has rejected Calin Georgescu’s application to participate in a runoff election in line with decisions brought forward from the Constitutional Court. Georgescu, which dominated the first cycle of the elections was discovered to have run an illegal political campaign supported by the Russian Federation. He was also additionally investigated by prosecutors for involvement in fascists groups and being unable to provide adequate justification for his campaign financing. BEC’s decision to prohibit Georgescu to further participate in the elections was followed by violent protests in front of their headquarters with messages for support coming from Elon Musk., and the leader of the Romanian far – right Alliance for the Unity of Romanies George Simion.
Impact: Romania is under significant risk of diving into a protracted political and constitutional crisis as Georgescu’s dismissal in the elections was followed by violent protests which could substantially escalate. The unequivocal support Georgescu enjoyed could be attributed to a successfully implemented Russian election meddling campaign or to the global preorientation towards right and far right political parties. Romania’s prosecution bodies should immediately make public the collected evidence against the candidate in order to avoid a prolonged political crisis which could considerably shatter the country’s stability in times where geopolitical dynamics in Europe are rapidly changing, and Russian soft power and influence are on a high level.