Romania prosecutors indict far-right election candidate Calin Georgescu

BUCHAREST - Romania on Feb 26 indicted far-right politician Calin Georgescu for “false statements” over his financing for 2024’s presidential election, where he won the most votes but which a court annulled.

The country’s constitutional court in December

cancelled the elections

following allegations of Russian interference and claims of “massive” social media promotion of Georgescu, who shot to prominence virtually overnight.

Georgescu has denied any wrongdoing and called the annulment a “formalised coup d’etat”, while prosecutors are investigating suspected election offences.

The charges Georgescu faces include making “false statements, in a continuous form... regarding the sources of financing of the electoral campaign and declarations of assets”, prosecutors said in a statement, without naming him.

Other charges are “instigation to actions against the constitutional order, in attempted form”, “communication of false information” and “initiating or constituting a fascist, racist or xenophobic organisation, joining or supporting, in any form, such a group”.

Earlier on Feb 26, the police stopped Georgescu in his car and escorted him to the prosecutor-general’s office for questioning.

Authorities also searched dozens of premises around the country in their probe into the alleged offences, according to a statement by the prosecutor’s office.

Leaving the prosecutor’s office after hours of questioning, Georgescu, 62, slammed a “desperate initiative... with Brussels’ involvement”.

“We will not kneel under any circumstances... We are on the right track,” he told reporters.

Georgescu’s supporters gathered outside the prosecutor’s office, some holding flags and chanting “traitors”, “liberty” and “Georgescu for president!”

Mr George Simion, the leader of far-right party AUR, who was also outside the prosecutors’ office, called on “every Romanian not to stand by” but protest “the coup d’etat”.

X owner and US President Donald Trump ally Elon Musk has also commented on Georgescu’s “arrest”, saying “this is messed up”.

He has already spoken up in support of Georgescu before.

The decision by EU and Nato member Romania to annul the vote – rare in the European Union – plunged the eastern European country into crisis, with tens of thousands protesting in rallies called by the far-right.

In the Nov 24 first round, Georgescu came first but without a majority. He was due to face a pro-EU centrist mayor in a run-off.

A new first round of presidential elections will take place on May 4, with a second on May 18 if no first-round candidate wins more than 50 per cent of the vote in the first round.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Feb 26 that “judicial authorities have the duty to present to the public extremely solid evidence in the investigation in which, among dozens of people, a potential candidate in the May elections is also involved”.

Georgescu – a past admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Nato critic – has recently reframed himself as “ultra pro” Mr Trump.

In parliamentary elections in December, far-right parties secured an unprecedented third of the ballots on mounting anger over soaring inflation and fears over Russia’s war in Ukraine, which neighbours Romania. AFP