Georgescu tramples on BEC - his candidacy was rejected

The Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) rejected, last night, the candidacy of Călin Georgescu in the presidential elections in May. The invalidation of Georgescu's candidacy was voted by ten of the 14 members of the BEC. They claim that the representatives of AUR, POT, USR and SOS voted to validate Călin Georgescu's candidacy in the presidential elections. According to the cited sources, Călin Georgescu lacked a signature on one of the annexes to the file, representing the declaration of assets. The BEC decision can be appealed to the Constitutional Court of Romania.

The invalidation of Georgescu's candidacy occurred in the context of a disintegration of his support by his own voters, which became evident in the context in which he asked his supporters to have a massive presence, yesterday, at the BEC headquarters, unofficial figures indicating that, last night, there were probably around 1000 people at the Central Electoral Bureau.

Upon learning of the decision, the demonstrators in front of the BEC reacted violently - they broke the fences installed by the gendarmes, threw bottles and various objects and pushed each other with the security forces.

The BEC decision came after, on Saturday, the two appeals that had been filed against the candidacy of Călin Georgescu were rejected by the CCR, on the grounds that they had no object, as long as the BEC had not yet validated the candidacy.

Over 1,300 objections to Georgescu's candidacy for the May presidential elections were filed with the Central Electoral Bureau on Saturday, while several petition templates are circulating on social media, which people fill out and send to the BEC's email address.

• Călin Georgescu: "The BEC decision is a direct blow to the heart of world democracy"

Călin Georgescu reacted to the Central Electoral Bureau's decision by posting a message in English on his X page, accusing: "A direct blow to the heart of world democracy! I have one more message! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It's that simple! Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!"

• George Simion: "The rejection of Călin Georgescu is a new abuse"

AUR leader George Simion says that the rejection of Călin Georgescu's candidacy by the Central Electoral Bureau is an abuse. "The rejection of Călin Georgescu's candidacy file is a new abuse and a continuation of the coup d'etat given on December 6. Down with Ciolacu, down with the dictators!", Simion wrote on Facebook.

• Diana Şoşoacă: "The reasons for rejecting Călin Georgescu's candidacy are not legal"

The reasons invoked by the Central Electoral Bureau for rejecting Călin Georgescu's candidacy file are not legal, Diana Şoşoacă said on her Facebook page: "Exactly what I am announcing to you: provoking a revolution to enter a state of emergency! Shame on the Central Electoral Bureau! The reasons for rejection are not legal! The systems are killing each other and we are caught in the middle! Risk of territorial disintegration! I told you that decision no. 2 of 5.10.2024 put an end to civil rights and freedoms!"

• Anamaria Gavrilă: "We are in a dictatorship"

The President of the Young People's Party, Anamaria Gavrilă, criticized the BEC decision: "We are in a dictatorship. 10 people to 4 voted against CG's file at the BEC, even though the file was ok," Gavrilă wrote on Facebook.

• Elena Lasconi: "In the last ten years, there has been something disastrous in terms of communication"

USR President Elena Lasconi stated: "I understand that the file was complete, that there was an annex that referred to the differences in amounts in the asset declaration from last year, since he filed his candidacy, and now, which was not mandatory for the file and that was unsigned. But it was not mandatory for the file. I understand that by voting, that explanatory note was also admitted as evidence and then a note of invalidation was taken. In fact, what is the biggest problem and why do we see people angry in the streets and why do we see that there is violence there? It is the same disease that state institutions have been suffering from for many years. Maybe not for 35, but in the last ten years there has been something disastrous from the point of view of communication. And if people don't know and are not informed, they are angry. (...) What would I have done if I were at the BEC? I would tell the representatives of the parties who are at the BEC - «put your phones in a bag, we will put them to the vote and we will make a motivation». You communicate the motivation publicly and then start giving more explanations if they are needed". Lasconi announced that he will file his candidacy for the presidency on Thursday.

• Traian Băsescu: "The BEC must clearly demonstrate which articles it violated"

The Central Electoral Bureau must indicate exactly why it rejected the registration of Călin Georgescu's candidacy in the presidential elections, "because it doesn't work with a mess without evidence", states former president Traian Băsescu, quoted by Digi24: "The BEC must clearly demonstrate which articles it violated, a very precise delimitation of the facts is needed, not "we think that'. The BEC spokesperson should come out with a statement and argue, come out with an explanation. To mention whether there are reasons related to financing or of any nature, convincing reasons are needed. It is essential that in the following moments the BEC gives convincing reasons, saying which conditions it violated".

• Elon Musk: BEC decision - "madness"; "this is happening in an EU country"

Billionaire Elon Musk, a well-known supporter of the sovereignist movement and candidate Călin Geogescu, also commented on his X account that the decision to reject Geogescu's candidacy is "crazy": "BREAKING: Romania has FORBIDDEN Călin Georgescu from running for president. He won the first round of the election before it was canceled. Now he's leading in the polls again. So now they've simply banned him from running. By the way, this is happening in an EU country." Elon Musk made the comment by taking over the post of a user who describes himself as a Swedish journalist and political commentator, Peter Imanuelsen, and declares himself a supporter of freedom.

• Călin Georgescu filed his candidacy for the presidency on Friday

Although he is indicted by the Prosecutor General's Office for allegedly committing several crimes, the most serious of which is incitement to actions aimed at illegally changing the constitutional order, Călin Georgescu, supported by the leaders of AUR and POT - George Simion and Anamaria Gavrilă - officially filed his candidacy for the presidential elections to be held in May on Friday.

The filing of his candidacy was marked by a significant mobilization of his supporters, who gathered in front of the headquarters of the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), displaying tricolor flags and placards of support. The tense atmosphere generated stampedes upon the candidate's arrival and departure, which required the intervention of law enforcement to maintain security.

Upon leaving the BEC headquarters, Călin Georgescu declared: "Today, I filed my candidacy. On December 6, 2024, democracy was killed. Today, on March 7, the Romanian people have risen. I submitted the file with over 324,000 signatures, out of respect for the Romanian people who understood that they must defend their democracy and free expression".

(Artificially processed clip by MAKE)

He specified that he has a message for the political class in power regarding the presidential elections.

Călin Georgescu said: "The people understood that they must defend their democracy. We have gone through fire and sword and that is good. Through suffering, we have all learned the fundamental values related to peace and democracy. It is good to defend our democracy. Let us fight for democracy and peace, as our ancestors and ancestors did. I have only one message for the corrupt system and the abject political class: the whole world is looking at Romania and the ungrateful and illegal way in which it acts. Annulling the elections was possible once, but it cannot be done a second time".

The leader of the AUR, George Simion, insisted on the legality of Călin Georgescu's candidacy and declared that there were no constitutional reasons for denying him participation in the elections.

George Simion said: "Any person who does not have his electoral rights prohibited, by a final court decision, can run. AUR maintains its decision and AUR maintains its promise to the Romanian people. We keep our word. (...) In the AUR leadership forums, the decision to support Mr. Georgescu was unanimously taken".

He also stated that Georgescu's candidacy will be contested, because "there are many enemies of democracy and the CCR has created a dangerous precedent that it should not repeat".

George Simiona specified: "There is no reason in the world, in the electoral laws, in the laws of the country, in the Constitution of Romania for Mr. Georgescu to be invalidated. (...) I am not a politician, I am not a liar, like all these people, Nicuşor Dan, Marcel Ciolacu and all those who said different things and then retracted them. I am not running. I am keeping my promise to the Romanian people. I do not know what kind of elections will be held if Mr. Georgescu is invalidated. It is not democracy."

• Presidential candidate, indicted by the Prosecutor General's Office

Călin Georgescu's candidacy is controversial due to the fact that he is facing significant legal problems, given that the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice announced on February 26 the initiation of criminal proceedings against him for a series of serious crimes: incitement to actions against the constitutional order, in a tempted form, communication of false information, false statements regarding the sources of financing of the electoral campaign, initiation or support of organizations with a fascist, racist or xenophobic character and promotion of the cult of persons guilty of crimes against humanity.

As a result, Georgescu was placed under judicial control for a period of 60 days, a measure contested by him, but upheld last week by the Bucharest 1st District Court. In the reasoning of the decision, the judge of rights and freedoms of the cited court emphasized that there are reasonable suspicions regarding the commission of crimes, noting that Georgescu reproduced in 2021 and 2022 the gestures and speech of Ion Antonescu and publicly expressed admiration for Corneliu Zelea Codreanu. Furthermore, the judge found that Georgescu "seems to maintain the same speech today", given a campaign clip in which the pro-Russian candidate resumed references to Corneliu Zelea Codreanu.

The cited motivation states: "The defendant seems to maintain the same discourse even now, when, on the occasion of the launch of his electoral campaign, he distributed on 1.09.2024 a video clip in which it is mentioned that "this message of mine today is not an electoral campaign, it is a call", referring to Corneliu Zelea Codreanu whom he calls a "hero" and an "enlightened one" who "did not give orders, but called". The fact that on 2.06.2022 the Prosecutor's Office ordered the closure is not of the nature to contradict the existence of a reasonable suspicion in the present case regarding the same crime. The factual situation retained by the prosecutor in 2022 is different from that of the prosecutor in the present case and, regardless of this aspect, the arguments for a solution to the case are not binding in another, distinct case".

The magistrate indicated in his reasoning that there are reasonable suspicions that Georgescu committed one of the three crimes with which the prosecutors accuse him, namely the crime of publicly promoting the cult of persons guilty of committing crimes of genocide against humanity and war crimes, as well as of publicly promoting fascist, legionary, racist or xenophobic ideas, concepts or doctrines. In contrast, the judge indicates that "regarding the crime of initiating or constituting an organization with a fascist, racist or xenophobic character, joining or supporting, in any form, such a group, provided for in art. 3 paragraph 1 of O.U.G. 31/2002 and the crime of initiating or constituting an anti-Semitic organization, joining or supporting, in any form, such an organization, provided for by art. 6 paragraph 1 of Law 157/2018, the judge considers that, at this time, there is no reasonable suspicion that the defendant would have committed them".