top of page
Suche

Romanians do not want the EU to drive them into a war with Russia! Protests after Georgescu's exclusion from the presidential election, the winner of the first annulled round of elections


He advocates negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine! Maria Cernat, associate professor in the Romanian capital Bucharest, president of the Institute for Media Research and Human Rights, host of the podcast ‘Peace Barricade’ and co-coordinator of World BEYOND War Romania, describes the background to the open conflict in Romania and the stages of escalation. She has described the events for a Turkish media company: As for Georgescus position on NATO, he explained that he did not want to take Romania out of NATO, but he did want to avoid being involved in the war in Ukraine and advocated for peace and diplomacy. I believe that this may have helped him – I don't have any data, but it's a hypothesis – but I think this attitude made him a favourite among the Romanians. At the same time, this positioned him at the opposite end of the spectrum from the other candidates. Romania is not only a European country with one of the largest secret service budgets, but also one of the most obedient when it comes to Brussels. I don't think Georgescu wanted to pull the country out of its current alliances. I think Viktor Orban from Hungary was his role model.


November 2024: Presidential Election and Initial Results

December 2024: Election Annulment

  • December 6, 2024: The Constitutional Court annuls the election results, citing evidence of Russian interference favoring Georgescu, illegal use of digital technologies, and undeclared campaign funding. ​en.wikipedia.org+12AP News+12en.wikipedia.org+12

  • December 7, 2024: Protests erupt in Bucharest as tens of thousands demonstrate against the annulment, labeling it a "coup d'état" and demanding the resumption of elections. ​AP News+1en.wikipedia.org+1

December 2024: Government Formation and International Reactions

  • December 22, 2024: The second Ciolacu cabinet is formed as a minority coalition between PSD, the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), and minority parties. ​en.wikipedia.org

  • December 27, 2024: President Klaus Iohannis resigns amid political pressure, leaving Senate President Ilie Bolojan as acting president until new elections are held. ​zh.wikipedia.org+4en.wikipedia.org+4es.wikipedia.org+4

January 2025: Legal Challenges and Preparations for New Elections

  • January 12, 2025: The European Court of Human Rights rejects Georgescu's appeal against the annulment, stating it lacks jurisdiction over the matter. ​theguardian.com+5reuters.com+5en.wikipedia.org+5

  • January 27, 2025: The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe publishes an urgent report on the cancellation of election results by constitutional courts, analyzing Romania's situation. ​en.wikipedia.org

  • January 8, 2025: The government sets the dates for the rerun presidential election: the first round on May 4, 2025, and a potential runoff on May 18, 2025. ​en.wikipedia.org+2AP News+2AP News+2

February 2025: Criminal Investigations and Ongoing Controversies

  • February 26, 2025: Călin Georgescu is detained by police on charges including incitement to actions against the constitutional order and support of fascist groups. ​AP News+18en.wikipedia.org+18es.wikipedia.org+18

  • February 28, 2025: Georgescu is released under judicial control, with restrictions placed on his public appearances and social media use. ​en.wikipedia.org

March 2025: Election Preparations and Legal Disputes

  • March 7, 2025: The Central Electoral Bureau bars Georgescu from participating in the May presidential election rerun due to breaches of democratic rules and alleged illegal campaigning linked to Moscow. ​elpais.com+8ft.com+8reuters.com+8

  • March 10, 2025: Georgescu appeals the decision to the Constitutional Court, which is expected to rule within 48 hours. ​reuters.com

  • March 11, 2025: Protests continue in Bucharest as supporters of Georgescu clash with police, expressing opposition to the election ban and alleging undemocratic actions. ​theguardian.com+3ft.com+3AP News+3

This timeline encapsulates the key events surrounding the annulment of Romania's presidential election in late 2024 and the ensuing political and legal developments through early 2025.

Romania's Presidential Election Turmoil



These are the events in chronological order. The worrying situation now comes from the intellectual elites justifying the decision of the Central Electoral Bureau. Essentially, because they consider this candidate undesirable due to his extremist positions and his positive statements regarding Ion Antonescu, a political leader convicted in Romania for war crimes, they argue that this decision is justified. Of course, numerous jurists, including the former president of the Constitutional Court, declare that they find the Central Electoral Bureau's decision "exaggerated." Source


At this moment, all we can do is speculate that these Romanian legal institutions have entered an extremely strange area that has not characterized the three decades of Romanian democracy. We have not had such interference in the electoral process. Essentially, what is happening is unprecedented in Romanian democracy. In my opinion, which is nothing more than speculation, the authorities' decision is a mix of fear of a leader who could prove to be authoritarian, fear that some of the current elites connected to the euro-atlantic power centers could lose their privileges, fear of change, and fear of the population's anger. Certainly, it is very problematic to what extent we can take problematic democratic measures to save democracy. Who are we saving it from? At this moment, it seems to be from the potential voters of Călin Georgescu. How much democracy is left if we follow this course?


Question 2

The arrest of Călin Georgescu has only fueled further anger among his supporters. What started as a small act of perceived injustice has escalated into a larger issue. It became increasingly clear that Romanians were backing Georgescu, and every move made by the authorities seemed to strengthen his supporters' resolve. In fact, these actions have not only solidified the decisions of his base but have also swayed many undecided voters to join his camp.

I believe that the authorities have a lot of homework to do and many questions they need to answer: what exactly was the role of the PNL in supporting Călin Georgescu in order to undermine the candidate they saw as a potential rival, George Simion? What was, if any, the involvement of Russia in the presidential elections? What is the evidence for the arrest of Călin Georgescu? I believe these are questions that at least some Romanians are still waiting for

clarification on.


Question 3

Georgescu is a controversial leader in his own way. Many call him a sort of guru because he mixes elements of spirituality with politics and combines them with a rather conservative discourse. I believe we are far from the direct and brutal repression exercised by a dictatorship. To describe the situation in Romania, I would use the metaphor of a frog placed in water with gradually increasing temperature. It remains stunned and ends up dying because it is paralyzed by the incremental rise in temperature. Precisely because the measures targeted a single candidate whose candidacy was banned, precisely because things seem legal, and precisely because everything happens with the applause of the Romanian intellectual elite, we fail to realize that these measures slowly but surely lead us in a negative direction. The abuses triggered against a leader we don't sympathize with – I admit, I don't think I would have voted for him – could also target leaders we do sympathize with, because a precedent has been set.


Question 4

Yes, Călin Georgescu knew very well how to connect with people's needs. Therefore, yes, I believe he would have garnered a large portion of the votes. It may be risky to assume victory as certain, but he certainly started as the favorite in this electoral race. Because the authorities and secret services secretly exert significant control, everything seems normal in our country. But all this anger from the population is just waiting for a spark. There is a great sense of dissatisfaction, and I really don't know how the authorities will be able to calm the angry population in the long term.


Question 5

Regarding Georgescu's position on NATO, he stated that he does not want to take Romania out of NATO, but he does want to avoid involvement in the war in Ukraine, advocating for peace and diplomacy. I believe this may have helped him – although I don't have data, it's a hypothesis – but I think this stance made him a favorite among Romanians. At the same time, it positioned him at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to the other candidates. Romania is not only a European country with one of the largest budgets for intelligence services, but it is also one of the most obedient countries when it comes to Brussels. I don't think Georgescu would have wanted to pull the country out of its current alliances. I believe Viktor Orban from Hungary was his model.

Maria Cernat, associate professor, president of the Media Research and Human Rights Institute




Kommentare

bottom of page