Far-right candidate excluded from Romania presidential election

Romania's electoral bureau on Sunday rejected the candidacy submitted by far-right hopeful Calin Georgescu for a re-run of last year's presidential election in May, sparking outrage among his supporters in Bucharest.

Georgescu shot to prominence almost overnight to unexpectedly win the first round of a presidential election last November.

But Romania's constitutional court annulled the ballot shortly before the second round was to be held in December, after claims of Russian meddling and a "massive" social media promotion of Georgescu.

In a statement Sunday, the electoral bureau said it had adopted "the rejection of the registration of the independent candidacy" of Georgescu. It did not give its reasons for doing so.

Georgescu, who can challenge the decision at Romania's constitutional court, denounced the move on X as "a direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide".