International

Elon Musk reacts as Romania bans pro-Russian candidate

Billionaire Elon Musk swiftly reacted to Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) decision to ban Călin Georgescu from running in the presidential elections, calling the move "madness," according to News.ro.

Musk's comment was in response to a post by Swedish journalist and political commentator Peter Imanuelsen, a self-proclaimed advocate of free speech.

"BREAKING: Romania has banned Călin Georgescu from running for president. He won the first round before it was annulled. Now he’s leading in the polls again. So they just banned him from running. By the way, this is happening in an EU country," Imanuelsen wrote.

"This is madness," Musk responded.

Georgescu himself reacted to the ban, calling it "a direct blow to the heart of world democracy."

"If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It’s that simple! Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny," he wrote on X.

Following BEC’s decision, Georgescu’s supporters gathered in front of the institution’s headquarters in Bucharest, staging large-scale protests. According to local media, law enforcement was forced to use tear gas after demonstrators attempted to break through police lines.

"Following a decision by the Central Electoral Bureau, participants in the unauthorized public gathering attempted to force their way into the institution. To restore order, officers used a handheld tear gas device," Bucharest’s Gendarmerie stated.

On Sunday evening, BEC officially rejected Georgescu’s candidacy with a vote of 10 to 4, citing both procedural and substantive issues, according to sources from G4Media.

Candidates have 24 hours to challenge the decision at the Constitutional Court, which then has 48 hours to issue a ruling. A final decision is expected by Wednesday evening.

On December 6, 2024, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of presidential elections, held on November 24. At the time, 22.94% of voters had supported Georgescu.

Romanian intelligence services accused Russia of election interference, alleging a coordinated campaign to promote Georgescu via thousands of TikTok accounts. The Prosecutor General's Office launched an investigation into election fraud. The new elections are scheduled for May 4. If no candidate secures over 50% of the vote, a runoff will be held on May 18.

On March 7, the 62-year-old politician submitted his candidacy for the rerun elections as an independent. His signature collection was supported by the nationalist party Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and the Young People’s Party.

On March 8, the Constitutional Court rejected two challenges against his candidacy registration, ruling them unfounded.

However, in late February, Romanian prosecutors opened a criminal case against Georgescu. He faces charges of incitement against constitutional order, false statements regarding campaign financing, and establishing a fascist and antisemitic organization. Georgescu denies all allegations.

Meanwhile, Crin Antonescu, the joint candidate of the ruling PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition, officially submitted his candidacy for the May elections. With the political landscape in turmoil, international attention remains focused on Romania amid concerns over potential election interference.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

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