Thousands march in Bucharest in a show of support for far-right populist Calin Georgescu

(22 Feb 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bucharest, Romania
1. Various of protest in front of Romanian government building
2. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Cristian (no last name given):
“Romanian people have many things that they are not happy about and this has lasted for 35 years now. When the constitution and the laws don't work as they should because the system is corrupt to the bone. Romania shouldn't have been here, the elections should have been held normally and the constitutional court shouldn’t have abused the power it had.”
3. Various of protest
4. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Cristian (no last name given):
"I only feel consternation from what I see. I'm unhappy because the Romanian people have been lied to, manipulated for 30 or more years. This is not a democracy. It's a fake democracy and we are here hoping that Romania will be back on its way as should have happened 30 years ago."
5. Various of protest, people with flags and banner with photo of Calin Georgescu
STORYLINE:
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Romania’s capital on Saturday in a show of support for Calin Georgescu, the far-right populist who emerged as the frontrunner in last year’s presidential race that was annulled days before the second-round runoff.

Many of the demonstrators in central Bucharest waved Romania’s blue, yellow, and red flags, while others brandished placards bearing slogans such as “President Georgescu” and “Return round two.”

The presidential elections are set to be rerun in May, but some protesters demanded a resumption of the race from the second round.

The protest comes after the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the election just two days before a Dec. 8 runoff. Georgescu — who was polling in single digits and declared zero campaign spending — shocked many when he won the first round on Nov. 24. Afterward, allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged.

Georgescu, a 62-year-old who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a man who loves his country" and called Ukraine “an invented state,” has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and argued the elections were “canceled illegally and unconstitutionally.”

“Democracy will return...We are the allies, we are the people, we have the power!” he wrote on his X account on Saturday.

The rally on Saturday also comes after US Vice President JD Vance has twice lashed out at Romania over the past week for cancelling the elections on what he said were “flimsy suspicions" and “enormous pressure” from its European neighbors.

One placard at Saturday’s protest read: “Thank you J.D. Vance … for your support.”

The canceled presidential race in December plunged the European Union and NATO member country into turmoil and followed other controversies including a recount of first-round votes.

New dates have been set to rerun the vote with the first round scheduled for May 4. If no candidate obtains more than 50% of the ballot, a runoff would be held two weeks later on May 18.

It is not yet clear whether Georgescu will be able to participate in the new election.

AP video by Nicolae Dumitrache

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