Călin Georgescu, the far-right, Russia-friendly politician who surprisingly emerged as the first-round winner of last year’s annulled presidential elections, officially submitted his candidacy for the repeat presidential election on Friday, March 7. Outside the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) headquarters in Bucharest, supporters gathered to chant his name and wave flags, while security forces set up protective barriers.
George Simion, leader of the far-right party AUR, also went to BEC on Friday, stating that more than 300,000 signatures had been collected in support of Georgescu’s candidacy, News.ro reported.
Meanwhile, Călin Georgescu is facing a criminal probe, being investigated under judicial supervision. On February 26, the General Prosecutor's Office announced that legal proceedings had been initiated against him for multiple offenses, including incitement to actions against constitutional order, spreading false information, falsifying financial disclosure statements regarding campaign funding, initiating or supporting fascist, racist, or xenophobic organizations, and publicly promoting the cult of individuals convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
After submitting his candidacy, Georgescu made statements amid the crowd’s chants of "Unity" and "Georgescu president!” When asked what he would do if his name did not appear on the ballot, he responded, "That's impossible!"
“Today, I submitted my candidacy. On December 6, 2024, democracy was killed. Today, on March 7, the Romanian people have risen again. I submitted the file with over 324,000 signatures out of respect for the Romanian people, who understood that they must defend their democracy and freedom of speech," Georgescu stated.
He was accompanied by George Simion and Anamaria Gavrilă, president of the far-right party POT.
According to a recent poll, Georgescu remains the favourite in the presidential elections, followed by the ruling coalition's candidate, Crin Antonescu, and Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan.
The first candidate to officially submit his candidacy for the May 4 presidential elections was Nicușor Dan, the current mayor of Bucharest, who arrived at BEC around noon on Friday. He stated that Romania’s president should unite the country’s energies to strengthen its role in Europe and globally.
According to Nicușor Dan, 240,000 people signed in support of his candidacy.
Under the law, BEC has 48 hours to review and validate the candidacies. The deadline for submitting candidacies is March 15, and the first round of the presidential elections is scheduled for May 4.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)
