Romania‘s Central Election Office on Sunday barred candidate Calin Georgescu from running in the presidential runoff election to be held in May.

Georgesku may appeal to the Constitutional Court against the rejection of his candidacy, which has been condemned by right-wing party leaders as undemocratic.

Calin Georgescu has also appealed to the European Court of Human Rights against the annulment of the first round of the presidential election by the Romanian Constitutional Court. The Court cited alleged “multiple irregularities and violations of the electoral law that distorted the nature of the citizens’ vote.”

The 62-year-old Georgesku won the first round of the November 24, 2024 election, beating the favourites from the ruling parties.

He was unknown on the country’s political scene until his pro-Russian views became known and spread on social media, particularly Tik Tok.

Romanian authorities suspect that Georgesku was aided by Moscow, although they have failed to proof their allegations or explain how exactly the validity of elections was compromised.