Romanian Police Take Far-Right Presidential Frontrunner In For Questioning

Romanian far-right politician Calin Georgescu has been taken in by police for questioning as part of an investigation surrounding last November's presidential election, which was annulled by the Constitutional Court after he won the first round of voting.

Georgescu, who is critical of NATO and opposes Romanian support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion, was stopped and taken in for questioning by police while driving on February 26, his communications team said in a post on Facebook.

Hundreds of supporters greeted Georgescu with cheers and applause as he left the Prosecutor-General’s Office after hours of questioning. Addressing the crowd, Georgescu reaffirmed his intention to run in the upcoming presidential elections in May.

Although prosecutors did not detain him, they placed Georgescu under judicial supervision for 60 days. His restrictions include a travel ban preventing him from leaving Romania, a prohibition on using the Internet to post hate content, a ban on carrying weapons, and a requirement to report regularly to the police and appear before a judge when summoned.

The General Prosecutor’s Office said it charged Georgescu with six offenses, including "founding or supporting fascist, racist, xenophobic, or anti-Semitic organizations, as well as publicly promoting war criminals and extremist ideologies."

Georgescu and his supporters claim the prosecution is attempting to block his candidacy, which he planned to officially register on February 26.

The first round of the presidential election was canceled by the Constitutional Court on December 6 after Romanian intelligence reports said foreign actors had manipulated social-media platforms, especially TikTok, to benefit Georgescu, a far-right, pro-Russian candidate.

Prosecutors reportedly carried out 47 searches in five Romanian districts on February 26 with regard to the case, which prosecutors say involves crimes against the constitutional order, false information about the sources of campaign financing, and public incitement to commit a crime.

“Calin Georgescu was going to file his new candidacy for the presidency. About 30 minutes ago, the system stopped him in traffic […] Where is democracy, where are the partners who must defend democracy?” the statement on Facebook said.

Romanian news channel Digi24 reported that the prosecution has issued a warrant for Georgescu's arrest and started searching the premises of his aides, including his personal bodyguard, ex-mercenary Horatiu Potra.

Georgescu claimed the searches were aimed to block his new presidential candidacy.

The court ruling was followed by an announcement by Romanian prosecutors that an investigation into alleged computer-related crimes had been launched amid allegations of Russian influence on the election results.

Georgescu was a little-known figure in Romania until he unexpectedly won the first round of the presidential election on November 24 with about 22 percent of the vote.

The 62 year-old was to face pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi in a runoff, which had been seen as a referendum on the future course of Romania, a member of NATO and the European Union.

While the annulment of the vote has exacerbated deep divisions in Romanian politics and sparked international concern, a new presidential election is scheduled for May 4, with a possible runoff on May 18.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who supported the Constitutional Court's decision to annul the election, said the authorities have the right to present the public with extremely solid evidence in the investigation, "which involves a potential candidate in the May elections."

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on February 10 said he was resigning from his post amid an effort by the opposition to have him impeached after he stayed in power following the Constitutional Court's election annulment.

On February 14, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticized Romania for canceling the election, saying the decision was based on the "flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency.”

"You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social-media advertisements to influence your elections. We certainly do. You can condemn it on the world stage, even," Vance said.

"But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with.

Just days before the vote, Georgescu launched a TikTok campaign calling for an end to aid for Ukraine, apparently striking a chord with voters. He has also sounded a skeptical note on Romania's NATO membership.

His anti-Western messaging is routinely amplified on Russian, state-run media and Kremlin-friendly social media.

His other stances included supporting Romanian farmers, reducing dependency on imports, and ramping up energy and food production.

With reporting by AP and Agerpres