Călin Georgescu, who was the leading candidate in last year’s Romanian presidential elections until the courts barred him from running, has said he will quit politics.
On May 26, Georgescu announced his retirement, saying he would focus on his family, “which needs peace”.
“The elections for the position of President of Romania in 2025 are over. Along with these, I have also chosen to end my active involvement in the political process, considering that this stage of the sovereigntist movement is over,” he said.
“This choice is a personal one and does not imply any judgment on those who continue to support this cause. I choose to be a passive observer. It is not a renunciation, but a responsible choice …I focus my attention and energy on my family who needs tranquillity, but especially health, after this tumultuous period.”
Georgescu said he would remain outside any party structure and keep a politically neutral stand. He added that he did not want to hold any position in the Romanian State administration currently, nor participate in political debates.
“However, if I see that the rights of those who have chosen differently are violated, I will once again engage with a clear voice to defend the principles of democracy and freedom.”
Thousands of Romanians took to the streets of the capital Bucharest protesting against the annulment of the presidential elections in December and voicing support for the right-wing presidential candidate Călin Georgescu. https://t.co/v3lGqBJOnv
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) March 3, 2025
On May 27, Romanian prosecutors announced they had extended the criminal investigation of him after he quoted on TV Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, a charismatic political leader in the pre-war fascist movement in Romania.
On May 17, Georgescu had said: “We did not fight for toys, as Avram Iancu said, but for our rights. And I add that one who fights even alone with a handful of brave men for his nation and his country and for God will never be defeated”.
According to the public prosecutor, this equalled defending fascist ideas, punishable by imprisonment from three months to three years.
COMMENT: The documents relied upon to annul Romania’s presidential election first round provide no concrete evidence of Russian state interference or any links between presidential candidate Calin Georgescu and Russia, writes @GElefteriu. https://t.co/AMkt8cxIEp
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) January 9, 2025
In Romania’s 2024 presidential election, right-wing nationalist Georgescu unexpectedly won the first round on November 24 with 22.94 per cent of the vote, a result that was said to have been boosted by a TikTok campaign.
In an unprecedented and controversial move, the Romanian Constitutional Court then annulled the results on December 6, citing what it claimed was Russian interference favouring Georgescu, although evidence was contested.
He was later barred from running, despite leading in the polls.
In February, he was taken in for questioning by the police, accused of forming a fascist organisation, threatening the Constitutional order and breaking electoral campaign finance rules.
A few weeks later, he had his candidacy rejected by the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) for reasons related to the source of his campaign finances.
