The far-right pro-Russian politician Calin Georgescu, who won the annulled presidential elections in Romania, is being investigated by the prosecutor's office. And his supporters are mobilising. What's going on around Georgescu?
In footage from recent days, Calin Georgescu looks far from the athletic hero he likes to portray himself as on TikTok. When the police detained him in Bucharest and escorted him to the prosecutor's office, he was wearing a grey sweater, a blue vest and baggy trousers, and in his hand he was holding a crutch that he uses after knee surgery. About five hours later, as he left the building, he smiled triumphantly, took his crutches in his left hand, and made the Elon Musk gesture, which looks a lot like a Hitler salute.
Shortly before, Musk had written on X: "They just arrested the person who won the most votes in the presidential election in Romania. Pig." This was fake news, because Georgescu was not arrested, but only questioned. But the post quickly garnered almost as many views (17.9 million) as the population of Romania.
Romanian election drama: episode after episode
The scenes in Bucharest were another episode in the drama with the canceled presidential elections in December 2024 in Romania and the right-wing extremist pro-Russian candidate Georgescu, who also has a penchant for esotericism. Georgescu, who won the first round of the election, was questioned for hours on February 26. Prosecutors have placed him under strict surveillance for the next 60 days, barring him from leaving the country or posting on social media. Georgescu is suspected of inciting anti-state activities, spreading false information and providing false information about his campaign financing. An earlier investigation has also been reopened for praising the anti-Semitic fascist Romanian Legion led by Corneliu Codreanu between the two world wars.
It is not yet clear whether charges will be brought, nor whether the far-right candidate will be allowed to run in the presidential election, which will be repeated on May 4. But the investigations against Georgescu are a new climax in the disputes surrounding the annulment of the elections.
The authorities' strange moves
Another climax is coming - on Sunday, Georgescu's supporters, including the extremist "Alliance for the Unification of Romanians", which became the second political force in the Romanian parliament with a fifth of the seats, are calling for a protest in front of the Parliament Building in Bucharest. A large-scale anti-system demonstration is expected, which may go beyond peaceful protests.
The investigation against Georgescu may lead to even greater support for the protestors' camp. There is nothing formally wrong with the prosecutor's current actions. But some of the authorities' decisions regarding the presidential elections were strange.
For example, in October, a far-right candidate was excluded from the elections for praising the anti-Semitic legionnaires. The same investigations were also conducted against Georgescu, but he was allowed to vote anyway. It is still unclear whether this was due to an oversight by the authorities or a deliberate move.
In the polls before the election, Georgescu received only a few percent approval. But then he surprisingly won the first round of the election on November 24 with 23 percent, after gaining popularity on TikTok. The country's Constitutional Court initially did not challenge the results, but then annulled them after the secret services found that Georgescu had benefited from illegal campaign financing, as well as suspicions of support from Russia.
Support from Musk and Vance
Evidence for the latter was never presented, and it is questionable how the Romanian services found out about these problems only after the election. In the eyes of large sections of society, Georgescu simply won, but was the "wrong candidate".
The debate over the extent to which the election was annulled intensified after Donald Trump entered the White House. At the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, US Vice President J.D. Vance said that the annulment of the Romanian election was a clear example of political practices in undemocratic Europe. On the other hand, billionaire and Trump confidant Elon Musk helped Georgescu achieve global fame and further growth in popularity in Romania in recent weeks through publications in X.
Was the annulment of the election right?
In Romania, there is a wide division on whether the annulment of the elections was the right decision. Even opponents of Georgescu accuse the justice system of being instrumentalized by political elites, thus harming democracy and the rule of law.
There is no evidence of judicial oversight in this case. However, serious attempts at political interference in the work of prosecutors and judges have been documented many times in the past.
Others say that the Romanian justice system has finally woken up. Especially since details of Georgescu's ties to pro-Russian private militia leader Horacio Potra, known as the "Romanian Prigozhin", have become clear in recent months. An arsenal of weapons and large sums of money were discovered in Potra's home this week. It is believed that he was preparing a plan for a coup in Romania. Potra was responsible for Georgescu's security. He himself left the country before his home was searched.