Romania’s electoral body on Sunday rejected Calin Georgescu’s candidacy in a presidential election redo, after the far-right populist won the first round of last year’s race before a top court annulled the election.
The 62-year-old Georgescu filed his candidacy on Friday in the capital, Bucharest. The Central Election Bureau, also known by its Romanian acronym BEC, had 48 hours to register or reject it.
It wasn’t immediately clear on what grounds his candidacy was rejected, but the BEC said that a full text of its decision would later be published on its website. The decision can be appealed at the Constitutional Court within 24 hours.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside BEC’s headquarters to express anger over its decision, with many waving Romanian flags and chanting: “The last resort is another revolution!”
Georgescu reacted to the decision on Sunday by calling it “a direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide!”
