Romania Bars Far-Right Presidential Candidate, Risking Trump Ire

Calin Georgescu addresses the media after registering his candidacy for presidential election at the Central Electoral Bureau in Bucharest, Romania, on March 7.
Photographer: Cristian Cristel/Xinhua/Getty Images

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By Andra Timu and Irina Vilcu

March 9, 2025 at 1:35 PM EDT

Updated on

March 9, 2025 at 6:34 PM EDT

Romania banned far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from its presidential election, triggering street protests and risking the wrath of the Trump administration.

Georgescu, the front-runner whose cause has been taken up by President Donald Trump’s team, called the decision by electoral authorities an attack on “democracy worldwide.” He has 24 hours to appeal to the Constitutional Court, which canceled his victory in the previous vote in December.