BUCHAREST, Romania — In Romania’s capital city of Bucharest, thousands of demonstrators assembled on Saturday to express their discontent with the government, marking another significant protest organized by far-right factions. This action followed the annulment of the presidential election by the country’s top court last year, causing widespread public uproar.
The protesters gathered outside the government building, brandishing the Romanian tricolor and shouting anti-government slogans like “Down with the Government!” and “Thieves.” A significant number of participants voiced their support for Calin Georgescu, who had been poised to advance to the second round in the election that was subsequently nullified in December. They demanded that the electoral process be resumed from the second round.
George Simion, who leads the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, the group behind the protests, addressed the assembly by stating, “We are united, we are strong. We are here because our vote was stolen. Because democracy was trampled on.” Simion emphasized the protest’s objective was to “restore democracy and ensure free elections,” and he called for the resignation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
“There is a lack of trust in the fairness and freedom of future elections,” Simion stated. On the previous day, a no-confidence motion, supported by AUR and two other far-right opposition parties, did not succeed in overthrowing Ciolacu’s pro-Western coalition, which was established following an election on December 1.
Recurring protests have persisted in Romania after the Constitutional Court took the unprecedented step of nullifying the election results just two days ahead of what should have been the decisive runoff on December 8, prompted by Georgescu’s unexpected success in the first round. Despite initially polling in single digits and reporting no campaign expenses, Georgescu’s candidacy led to allegations of electoral violations and potential Russian involvement, which Moscow has firmly denied.
Romanian prosecutors have initiated a criminal investigation against Georgescu, accusing him of alliances with fascist groups, opposing the constitutional framework, and inaccuracies in campaign finance and asset disclosures. While placed under judicial control, Georgescu, who has consistently denied all accusations, attended the protest. There, he assured supporters that “the system has maliciously tried to divide us,” claiming “old and new cronies tried to block my candidacy.”
The upcoming rerun of the first round is scheduled for May 4. Should no candidate achieve over 50% of the votes, a subsequent runoff will occur on May 18. It remains uncertain whether Calin Georgescu will participate in the forthcoming election.
