A Romanian politician, Călin Georgescu, has lost his appeal against a court ruling that barred him from participating in the upcoming presidential elections in May. The Constitutional Court of Romania announced the final verdict on Tuesday afternoon following a two-hour deliberation.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the court in Bucharest prior to the ruling. As the decision was made public, the crowd began to chant “Traitors” and “We won’t go anywhere”.
Just a few days ago, the Central Electoral Bureau had rejected Georgescu’s candidacy for a repeat of the presidential elections in May.
Georgescu had initially won the first round of the presidential elections in November, but his victory was later annulled by the Constitutional Court, citing alleged interference from a foreign actor (Russia) through social media campaigns.
On Sunday, the electoral bureau had declared Georgescu’s candidacy invalid. Georgescu subsequently filed an appeal against this decision.
Many of Georgescu’s supporters, carrying Romanian flags, were seen outside the court on Tuesday, chanting “Călin Georgescu is President” and “Freedom” and condemning the judges as traitors. Some held signs with the inscription “Stop the Dictatorship”. It took a while for the news of the upheld ban to reach the crowd. As it did, there were loud boos for the judges in the hall.