Romanian prosecutors said on Wednesday they had launched a criminal investigation against Calin Georgescu, the far-right front-runner in last year’s cancelled presidential election, over several accusations including promoting anti-Semitism.
The ballot was voided in December on account of suspected Russian interference in favour of Mr Georgescu, a strong critic of Nato and western support for Ukraine. Moscow denied the accusations of meddling in the election.
Prosecutors launched a criminal investigation following the cancellation of the election, amid accusations of wrongdoing ranging from campaign funding fraud and promoting anti-Semitism and hate speech to acts against the constitutional order.
On Wednesday, after questioning Mr Georgescu for several hours, they said they were formally investigating him on accusations of forming an anti-Semitic organisation, promoting war criminals and fascist organisations, and communicating false information.
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Mr Georgescu, who has denied all wrongdoing, on Wednesday accused authorities of behaviour reminiscent of Romania’s communist past.
“The communist Bolshevik system is continuing its heinous abuse,” Mr Georgescu said on his Facebook account. “They are looking to invent evidence to justify stealing the election and to do anything in their efforts to block a new candidacy from me.”
About 100 Georgescu supporters gathered in protest outside prosecutors' headquarters in the capital Bucharest, shouting “national unity”, joined by ultranationalist members of parliament.
The supporters cheered and chanted Mr Georgescu’s name when he emerged from the building. He will now be under judicial control for 60 days, a measure that means he will be required to check in with police at regular intervals.
Prosecutors also said on Wednesday they had raided 47 addresses of people and associations connected to Mr Georgescu.
Among them was Horatiu Potra, a former member of the French Foreign Legion and military contractor in the Democratic Republic of Congo whose security firm provides bodyguards for Mr Georgescu. Prosecutors said a large cache of weapons and hidden cash was found during the raid.
His communications team said in a post on social media that authorities had hauled Mr Georgescu in for questioning on the day he had intended to submit his candidacy for a rerun of the presidential election, set for May.
“Where is democracy now, where are the partners who should defend democracy?” the post read.
Members of US president Donald Trump’s administration have sharply criticised Romania for annulling its election. Vice-president JD Vance said the cancellation meant Romania did not share US values, while billionaire Elon Musk labelled the chief judge of the top court that annulled the vote a “tyrant”.
“They just arrested the person who won the most votes in the Romanian presidential election,” Mr Musk said on his social media platform X on Wednesday, repeating false claims that Mr Georgescu had been arrested. “This is messed up.”
Mr Georgescu has praised Romania’s 1930s fascist leaders as patriots and martyrs and expressed admiration for both Mr Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. He remains voters' top choice in opinion polls in advance of the May rerun, although it remains unclear whether he will be allowed to run.
Romania’s Iron Guard was a far-right movement and party that was founded in 1927 and became known for political assassinations and violent anti-Semitism.
Under present-day Romanian legislation, promoting fascist leaders and Nazi, racist or xenophobic symbols are banned and carry a prison sentence, although cases only rarely made it to court before the voided election.
− Reuters
