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.
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Romanian prosecutors questioned far-right candidate Calin Georgescu over alleged election interference, raiding 47 locations linked to him. Georgescu, leading in polls for the May rerun, claims authorities are blocking his candidacy. U.S. officials criticised Romania for annulling the vote.
At least thirteen people have died and sixty-six have been injured following an explosion at Qatar's main liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing hub at Ras Laffan, authorities said on Sunday.
Cape Verde’s remarkable FIFA World Cup debut continued on Sunday (21 June) as the tournament newcomers held Uruguay to a 2-2 draw. Goalkeeper Vozinha was once again at the centre of the story, this time with his mother watching from the stands.
Iran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, has said that the Strait of Hormuz is closed to ships again, citing alleged violations of a ceasefire agreement by the U.S. and Israel. Lebanon has said Israeli strikes killed 16 people on Saturday.
Tehran has agreed to let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommence inspections of its nuclear programme, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said. The U.S. and Iran have settled on a 60-day roadmap aimed at reaching a final deal, according to mediators Qatar and Pakistan.
A severe heatwave sweeping across much of Europe has led France to restrict alcohol consumption at public events, while Germany issued widespread heat warnings and Spain closed a football fan zone in Madrid.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the China Institute of Sport Science (CISS) have launched a campaign to reach 100 million people in China by 2028, encouraging more active lifestyles and greater participation in physical activity through community programmes and digital tools.
Pakistan's latest federal budget has exposed a difficult policy dilemma facing many developing economies: can a country achieve lasting prosperity by prioritising fiscal stability if investment in people remains constrained?
The signing of a historic 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the U.S. and Iran on 17 June has formally ended months of high-intensity conflict. Yet despite the agreement, tensions surrounding Lebanon threaten the durability of the fragile peace.
Sudan's military leadership has welcomed a growing number of defections from the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reshaping alliances in the country's civil war while raising concerns among civilians and human rights groups over accountability for alleged wartime abuses.
China responded to Washington on Monday with trade restrictions targeting 56 American companies, in a calibrated response to U.S. measures imposed on Chinese firms earlier this month.
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