site.btaRomanian Politicians React to Constitutional Court Ruling Removing Far-Right Georgescu from Presidential Race

Romanian politicians reacted Tuesday to a Constitutional Court ruling that conclusively removes far-right candidate Georgescu from the presidential race in May.

On Tuesday, Georgescu lost his appeal against being barred him from running for President. The Court’s decision was made unanimously by the nine justices, Romanian news media reported.

In a video message posted on Facebook just an hour after the Constitutional Court announced its decision, Georgescu said that "the system does not accept anyone from outside it”. He explained that six months ago, he urged the Romanian people to wake up, and that had been his mission. "My mission was to explain the reality we are facing. My mission is accomplished. The Romanian people have awakened to save themselves. It is not one person's mission to save the people. It is you who must choose what you want for the future," Georgescu emphasized.

At the conclusion of his message, he stated that, in light of everything that had transpired in the Constitutional Court and in recent months, he would continue to firmly advocate for freedom, democracy, and peace.

The leaders of two far-right parties in Romania, which supported Georgescu’s presidential bid, voiced their support for him on social media.

The leader of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians, George Simion, reacted on Facebook to the Court's ruling. "Shame! Shame! Shame! You will not defeat us! The Romanian people have already awakened! And they will emerge victorious! C.G.," Simion wrote.

The leader of the Youth Party, Anamaria Gavrila, also responded with a video message on Facebook. She said that “several judges had decided to prevent millions of Romanians from choosing the president they truly wanted”. Gavrila believes that the Constitutional Court’s decision has set "an extremely frightening precedent."

Gavrila’s party entered parliament for the first time after the December 1 elections, thanks to its support for Georgescu.

Elena Lasconi, the leader of the opposition reformist party Save Romania Union, expressed hope that the Constitutional Court's decision was "only the first step," and that Georgescu himself would face criminal charges for the "atrocities" he is accused of.

Romanian Prime Minister and Social Democratic Party leader Marcel Ciolacu wrote on Facebook that the unanimous decision of the Constitutional Court judges "puts an end to an extremely tense and dangerous episode that Romania has experienced in recent months." "The fact that Romanians, dissatisfied with this decision, have shown they can protest peacefully gives me confidence that we have the resources to return to a normal social climate, where everyone has the right to express their views in a civilized public debate," Ciolacu added.