Romania Criminal Probe Puts Far-Right Candidate on Back Foot
- Criminal charges for extremism upend Georgescu’s momentum
- Romania rocked by November’s annulled presidential election
Calin Georgescu leaves a police station in Bucharest, on Feb. 26.
Photographer: Andrei Pungovschi/Getty Images
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Romania’s far-right presidential candidate emerged defiant after hours of questioning by prosecutors this week, but an escalating criminal case could still derail his campaign.
Leaving the prosecutor’s office in downtown Bucharest to the cheers of supporters is the kind of moment where Calin Georgescu thrives, presenting himself as the victim of elite intrigue to a nation engulfed in an anti-establishment mood. Every move by the authorities against him has only increased Georgescu’s popularity, with polls showing he’s the frontrunner in May’s election.