Romanian politician Calin Georgescu was definitively barred from standing in May’s presidential election rerun, after the Constitutional Court (CCR) rejected on Tuesday (March 11) all challenges against the Central Electoral Bureau’s (BEC) decision to invalidate his candidacy.
The same court annulled last year’s election in which Georgescu won the first round. The decision to cancel the election was made two days before the Dec. 8 runoff.
The 62-year-old submitted his candidacy on Friday. Two days later, the BEC said Georgescu’s candidacy did not “meet the conditions of legality” prompting a small but violent clash between his supporters and police.
Georgescu appealed that verdict the following day. After deliberating for two hours, the CCR rejected Georgescu’s appeal against that decision on Tuesday in a unanimous ruling that cannot be challenged.
In a Facebook video on Tuesday night, Georgescu, who is under judicial control and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, suggested supporters could choose another candidate to back in the re-run election in May. “If you want to support anyone by signing new lists for the presidential campaign, please do as your conscience tells you,” he said.
The deadline to submit presidential bids ahead of the May election is March 15. The first round of the rerun is scheduled for May 4. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the ballots, a runoff will follow on May 18.
With reporting by news agencies
