Romania: Crin Antonescu's candidacy was approved by the Central Electoral Bureau
The Central Electoral Bureau of Romania has officially registered Crin Antonescu's candidacy for the presidency, as announced by BEC on Tuesday, according to digi24.ro.
Crin Antonescu is the second candidate registered with the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), following Nicușor Dan. The candidacy of the capital's mayor has been challenged at the Constitutional Court, which will review the complaint today, alongside Călin Georgescu's appeal regarding the rejection of his candidacy.
Crin Antonescu, the ruling coalition's candidate in the presidential elections, believes that the BEC's decision to reject Călin Georgescu's candidacy is one that must be respected. "Politically, he should have participated in the electoral race," Antonescu stated in an interview with RFI Romania.
We remind you that presidential elections in Romania are scheduled for May 4 (first round) and May 18 (second round) in 2025. This follows the Constitutional Court's annulment of the 2024 presidential elections on December 6, 2024. The annulment was based on findings from the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT), which declassified reports from defense and national security institutions that indicated potential interference by a foreign actor in the elections.
Declassified documents revealed external support for the candidacy of Călin Georgescu, prompting the European Commission to launch an investigation into TikTok's role in influencing the election.
As a result, the Constitutional Court decided that the entire electoral process for the election of the President of Romania would be restarted, with the government tasked with setting a new date.
In the first round of the November 24 elections, Călin Georgescu, an independent candidate known for his anti-Western and ultra-nationalist views, unexpectedly won with nearly 23% of the vote—a victory that the Romanian and international media described as "shocking." Elena Lasconi, the candidate of the pro-Western Save Romania Union party, came in second with just over 19% of the vote.
