The dispute over Georgescu's candidacy is firing up tensions both at home and abroad. A small group of his supporters smashed pavements and set rubbish bins ablaze in Bucharest on Sunday, while Elon Musk, a key adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, branded the decision to bar Georgescu "crazy".
Romania, a NATO and EU member, has found itself at the centre of a dispute between Europe and the Trump administration over the nature of democracy. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Romania's annulment of its election in December amid allegations of Russian interference meant it did not share American values.
Russia denies interfering in Romania's presidential vote.
"We go together all the way for the same values: peace, democracy, freedom," Georgescu, appearing alongside two political allies, said in a video posted on Facebook, confirming he would appeal to the Constitutional Court against the ban.
Georgescu also urged supporters to shun violent protests "like (those) we saw yesterday evening".
Georgescu submitted his presidential bid on Friday.
Romania's central election authority said on Sunday it had decided to bar Georgescu's candidacy, saying it was inadmissible after the Constitutional Court's annulment of the December vote.
Challenges to decisions by Romania's central election authority must be filed within 24 hours. The Constitutional Court should rule on Georgescu's appeal by Wednesday.
ULTRANATIONALIST PARTIES
Analysts have said it is unlikely that the top court will allow Georgescu to run again for the presidency.
The court set a precedent in October when it blocked the candidacy of another far-right candidate, arguing that her anti-European, pro-Russian views made her unfit for office.
If the court upholds the central election authority's decision, three opposition ultranationalist parties, which hold 35% of seats in parliament and which backed Georgescu's previous presidential bid, risk having no candidate in the May election.
George Simion, leader of the opposition Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR), met with Georgescu on Monday.
Asked before the meeting if he was considering submitting his own candidacy, Simion told reporters:
"We wait to see what Mr. Georgescu will say. We are not ruling out any options, but we are not speculators."
Simion said he had been in contact with JD Vance's team in the last 24 hours, but not directly with the Trump administration. He did not elaborate.
Georgescu is under criminal investigation on six counts, including membership in a fascist organisation and communicating false information about campaign financing. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Sergiu Miscoiu, a political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University, said he believed it would be riskier to let Georgescu run, as his victory could upend Romania's pro-Western orientation, than to bar him, even if the U.S. reacted badly.
"Even if the United States reacts ... strongly, this consequence can be mitigated in the longer run," he said, adding that plans for higher European defence spending and signs that China wants to draw closer to Europe could help dampen any U.S. criticism.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling t...
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles laun...
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercont...
One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze during preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November, as forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region, the Philippines said on Tuesday.
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the United Kingdom believes Iran was likely behind an alleged plot connected to RAF Fairford, a military airbase in Gloucestershire in England that has played a role in U.S. operations against Iran, escalating tensions between London and Tehran.
Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement for political purposes after authorities searched her Washington-area home as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment