Over 500 supporters of barred far-right candidate spark unrest in Romania

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Romanian authorities have identified over 500 supporters of a barred far-right candidate following Sunday night's protests in Bucharest, which turned violent.

"More than 500 people have been identified in the area of Sunday night's protest at the headquarters of the Central Electoral Bureau, and based on the operational and public footage, the people who committed anti-social acts last night will be identified and proven," Romanian Gendarmerie representatives said on Monday, according to Antena 3 CNN.

The protests resulted in injuries to 13 gendarmerie members, with four still hospitalized. Authorities also reported 11 offenses, including public disturbance, destruction, and assaulting officers.

According to Antena 3 CNN, four members of the right-wing Alliance for Romania party are believed to have coordinated the protests outside the Central Electoral Bureau.

The unrest erupted after the Central Electoral Bureau rejected independent politician Calin Georgescu, a vocal critic of the West and NATO, as a candidate for the May 4 presidential election.

Georgescu had led the annulled first round of the November 2024 election.

The Central Electoral Bureau reviewed applications from four independent candidates for the rescheduled vote, approving one while rejecting Georgescu and two others. A detailed explanation is expected later.

Georgescu condemned the decision, calling Europe a "dictatorship" and warning that "if democracy falls in Romania, the entire democratic world will fall."