Thousands protest in Bucharest after Romanian elections annulled
Thousands of supporters of Călin Georgescu gathered in Victory Square, Bucharest, to protest the Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the presidential elections.
Meanwhile, in Constitution Square, nationalist activists set up stands to collect signatures endorsing Georgescu’s candidacy for the May elections. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) announced that the required number of signatures had already been gathered.
Protesters, waving Romanian flags and holding banners supporting Georgescu, demanded a rerun of the second round of the presidential election and contested the reasons behind the annulment of last November’s vote.
Călin Georgescu arrived at the protest using crutches, explaining that he had recently undergone knee surgery. He also signed the petition supporting his candidacy. Later, the demonstration relocated to Victory Square.
"I am here for Romania, to reclaim it. That’s the point. It’s not just about one person or another. This is about what happened in Romania and what is happening now. It’s not about a specific candidate. The annulment should never have happened—plain and simple."
"We must overthrow this political elite that has oppressed us for 35 years. We already have our rightful president, Călin Georgescu."
"How can that be? Călin Georgescu must become president, things will improve, and we will remove the government."
The protest was also attended by representatives of far-right parties, including the Young People's Party and AUR, both of which have declared their support for Georgescu’s candidacy.
According to Bloomberg, the United States had previously urged Romania to allow Georgescu to run for president. However, Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that such discussions had taken place.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
