Georgescu is currently under criminal investigation, and will be under judicial control for 60 days. He cannot leave Romania and is prohibited from promoting fascist, racist, homophobic ideas on social media. He has been indicted for instigating actions against the constitutional order, communicating false information, and participating or funding a fascist organisation. The punishment for the latter is up to 15 years in prison. The prosecutors also accuse him of publicly promoting persons guilty of genocide and their cult of personality.
In November 2024, the first round of presidential elections ended with far-right Calin Georgescu taking the lead, and a subsequent scandal after the press revealed his ties with fascist and ultranationalist Romanian groups. The election was annulled in December and the second round was cancelled due to alleged Russian interference on behalf of Georgescu. Georgescu ran on a campaign promoting Euroscepticism, wishing to stop Romania’s support for Ukraine and pull the country out of NATO. He also has ties to Romanian fascist organisations like the Iron Guard and has been accused of copying fascist speeches. In 2020, he said that “the legionary movement (the Iron Guard) was the most powerful expression of health and goodwill that has come from the Romanian people”.
The elections have been rescheduled for May 2025. Candidates have to apply until March 15 at the latest.
Augustin Zegrean, former president of the constitutional court, has said that, as of right now, Calin Georgescu cannot be prohibited from running again. The law says that the right to run for president ceases at the moment of a final conviction.
Over 40 other people associated with Calin Georgescu were searched on Wednesday. Horațiu Potra, a man Georgescu was photographed with on several occasions, was also searched. Police found almost a million dollars in cash hidden in a safe under his floor. They also confiscated a large number of illegal weapons, including grenades. Potra has fought for The French Foreign Legion, a subdivision of the French Army that was created in order to allow foreign nationals into French service, and has been one of over 20 mercenaries that have been protecting Calin Georgescu since the election. Investigators believe he also has ties with the Wagner Group, a Russian state-funded private military company that has been accused of killing and torturing civilians in Ukraine. The UK now considers them a terrorist group.
Georgescu was welcomed by hundreds of supporters outside the prosecutors’ office, including two other far-right party leaders. As he left the Prosecutors’ office, he was spotted doing what experts are claiming is a Nazi salute, akin to the one Elon Musk was alleged of doing last month. Musk has shown his support for Georgescu with a recent post on X, citing “They just arrested the person who won the most votes in the Romanian presidential election. This is messed up”. Calin Georgescu has not yet been arrested, he is just being questioned.
