Călin Georgescu should be able to run in Romania's upcoming presidential elections, coalition candidate says
Former liberal leader Crin Antonescu (picture, right), the candidate announced by the coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, and Hungarian minority party UDMR for the presidential elections, stated that far-right politician Călin Georgescu (picture, left) should be able to run in the upcoming elections. According to the schedule agreed by the ruling coalition leaders, the presidential elections should be held again in May.
Georgescu, the previously obscure politician whose meteoric rise to first place in the first round of last year's presidential elections led to official information regarding possible Russian interference, should run again so that "we can see and hear him in person in a debate, answering some questions,” according to Crin Antonescu.
"Georgescu had voters, more than two million, and his campaign inspired many people. It is not just about him or his statements but about a broader theme - society’s trust in the fairness and reliability of the democratic system, particularly elections," Antonescu said, cited by Agerpres.
He noted that during the fall presidential campaign, Călin Georgescu was absent from real debates.
"I would rather Mr. Georgescu is in the race, so we can see and hear him in person, so to speak, in a debate, answering questions - not mine or his competitors’ but from you, the press, and the people," Antonescu added.
Crin Antonescu, who led the National Liberal Party from 2009 to 2014 and served as president of the Senate and acting president after the impeachment of longtime rival Traian Basescu, was picked to be the sole candidate of the current government coalition. Despite some hesitations, he was recently confirmed as the candidate once again.
The question of Călin Georgescu's candidacy, whether or not authorities should permit it, given that his campaign led to questions regarding foreign interference, particularly through Chinese social media TikTok, has been debated ever since the Constitutional Court annulled the elections in early December 2024. Far-right party AUR, supporters of Georgescu, have held rallies in support of not only allowing him to run, but of returning to the second round of now-annulled elections, which would have had Georgescu face off against reformist center-right USR leader Elena Lasconi.
However, so far, despite the annulment, definitive proof of Russian involvement on the side of Georgescu has not been successfully proven by the authorities.
Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan, also a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, said that there is a network of websites or online magazines that promote each other and Russia's narrative in Romania. However, he emphasized that it must be proven whether this network, either organically or through payment, supported Călin Georgescu's campaign.
Dan called on the president, intelligence services, the prosecutor’s office, and the Permanent Electoral Authority to clarify the annulment of the presidential elections of November-December 2024.
“In my opinion, for the supporters of Călin Georgescu or this populist-isolationist current, it is important that at the beginning of the electoral campaign, they know, for example, whether Călin Georgescu has or does not have the right to run. This way, they won't start collecting signatures for someone who, by the end of the process, might not be able to run. The most important thing at the start of the campaign is to know that the election story has been resolved," Nicușor Dan said, according to News.ro.
The mayor argued that voters “used” Călin Georgescu to signal their opposition to the political establishment in Romania.
“We have a candidate, Călin Georgescu, who declared zero campaign expenditures, while we saw individuals who were paid hundreds of thousands of euros in total to run his campaign. [...] That’s precisely why we need an answer—to clarify how much this campaign cost. Beyond that, it becomes a legal matter: under the new conditions for the upcoming electoral campaign, whether or not Călin Georgescu has the right to run," he explained.
The ruling coalition announced new dates for the presidential elections, namely May 4, and the second round on May 18. The government set to approve this week the necessary emergency ordinances and decisions to formalize the election schedule.
(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Octav Ganea and George Calin)
