Călin Georgescu arrived on Friday around 4:00 PM at the Central Electoral Bureau headquarters, located in the Old Town of the Capital, to submit his candidacy for the presidential elections. Upon exiting, he categorically ruled out the possibility of withdrawing his name from the ballot and, for the first time, agreed to answer journalists’ questions. Shortly after, the first challenge to his candidacy was recorded.
Georgescu came to the Central Electoral Bureau headquarters accompanied by bodyguards and his wife, Cristela, and had a hard time making his way through the crowd.
At least two hours earlier, several supporters, including representatives of AUR, gathered in front of the BEC headquarters in the center of the Capital, near the National Bank of Romania, carrying flags, portraits of Georgescu, and a map stencil of Romania. They chanted: "Romania, wake up!", "National Unity", "We do not give in!". Among the protesters was also the ever-present flag bearer.
Gendarmes set up protective fences around the BEC headquarters.
Upon exiting the Central Electoral Bureau headquarters, Georgescu made a few statements and then agreed to answer three questions from journalists.
For the first time, he accepted questions from journalists. "Ask your questions, not those of the bosses," he specified.
"Today, I submitted my candidacy. On December 6, 2024, democracy was killed. Today, on March 7, the Romanian people have risen. I submitted a file with over 324,000 signatures, out of respect for the Romanian people who understood that they must defend their democracy and freedom of expression," said Georgescu.
"Throughout this period, we have gone through fire and sword, and it is good because through suffering we have all learned and understood the fundamental values related to peace, democracy, and freedom. You can only understand them when you have lost them. That is why I tell everyone that it is good to defend our democracy, it is good to fight for freedom and peace. We do not receive peace; we must fight for it as our ancestors did with great dignity," said Georgescu.
He sent a message to the "abject political class in power": "What happened last year will not be repeated because if democracy is violated a second time, it will be an unacceptable position internationally."
Georgescu said it is "impossible" not to appear on the ballot, being confident that his candidacy will not be canceled due to criminal cases. "It happened once, but there will not be a second time in the way democracy decided. Because the first time we can accept that it is a fault, the second time means it is premeditated guilt. And then they will be judged by all courts and laws of the human world as well as by all divine laws," he added.
SNSPA Rector Filed First Challenge
SNSPA Rector, Remus Pricopie, filed a challenge to the registration of Călin Georgescu's candidacy for the position of President of Romania.
The challenge is based on solid constitutional and legal arguments, highlighting the candidate's incompatibility with the democratic and constitutional values of the Romanian state, Pricopie claims.
Specifically, he requests the Central Electoral Bureau to verify the fulfillment of the substantive and formal conditions provided by law for the candidacy for the position of President of Romania in 2025 and to reject Călin Georgescu's candidacy, noting that the eligibility conditions provided by the constitutional provisions of art.1 para.(3) and (5), art.82 para.(2), correlated with those of art.148 and 149, with reference to the values of democracy, the rule of law, respect for the Constitution correlated with their political-military guarantee, respectively Romania's membership in the EU and NATO.
As they are generally mandatory for the future, the considerations of the CCR decisions are part of the active substance of the constitutional legal order. As such, they are mandatory for all state authorities/institutions, including the BEC, in exercising the legal competence provided by Law no. 370/2004, Pricopie states.
"I considered it necessary to resort to this approach because the obligation to respect the Constitution is not just a formal requirement at the time of assuming the presidential mandate but a fundamental condition of eligibility. Any person aspiring to the highest position in the state must unequivocally demonstrate respect for democratic values, the constitutional order, and Romania's international commitments," Pricopie wrote on Facebook.
He explained on Antena 3 why he filed the challenge, emphasizing that a person who violates several articles of Romania's fundamental law cannot be a guarantor of the Constitution.
"There are two decisions of the Constitutional Court from last year, one related to Ms. Șoșoacă's candidacy, a decision from the first part of October and the second one concerning the annulment of elections. Both decisions create, so to speak, a new perspective on how presidential candidates should be evaluated from the perspective of constitutional criteria," he said.
Pricopie said there are many articles of the Constitution that Georgescu has violated: "It is a challenge in which I believe there are almost 18 pages. There are many... Article two regarding sovereignty, the article regarding respect for democratic institutions. There are dozens of statements by Mr. Georgescu regarding the abolition of political parties, how the country would be governed, in fact, it would be a dictatorship if we followed him, issues related to the European Union and NATO, which, be careful, are provided for in the Constitution, elements related to the security of the Romanian state. We have followed step by step, absolutely everything that has been highlighted so far in terms of constitutionality."
The SNSPA Rector explained that he filed the challenge, but behind this initiative is a team effort.
"There are several people who have participated because think that we have documented for ten years the statements of Călin Georgescu, obviously, extracting certain elements. Not all. We even made a parallel with how Hitler viewed national unity and the prosperity of the nation.
But if you look at how national unity is understood, that is, the elimination of those who dare to have a different opinion, Călin Georgescu's speech is a fascist-type discourse and action. And the latest information we have from state institutions, including ongoing investigations by the Prosecutor's Office, show that, in fact, there are not only words but also illegal actions. Now, a candidate for the position of president means that he is actually running for the position of guarantor of the constitution. That's what the Constitution says, that the president is the guarantor of the Constitution. You cannot enter this competition by violating several articles of the Constitution from the start, and violating the Constitution actually means an attack on the Romanian people," he stated.
The SNSPA Rector specified that there is also a second version of the challenge prepared for the CCR.
"I would like to emphasize one more thing. There will probably be people, I have already heard today even on your show, saying that challenges are filed after the registration of the candidacy at the Central Electoral Bureau by the BEC and that they are submitted to the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court's decision regarding the criteria of a candidate's constitutionality is a decision applicable to all. Therefore, all those involved in the validation process of a candidate, including the Central Electoral Bureau, from my point of view and that of the colleagues I have consulted with, must express their opinion on this component. If the BEC does not do it, there is a second version of the challenge, this time with direct addressability to the Constitutional Court," explained Remus Pricopie.
According to the law, the Central Electoral Bureau has 48 hours to decide on the acceptance or rejection of a presidential candidacy.
It is worth mentioning that the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice announced, on February 26, the initiation of criminal proceedings against Călin Georgescu.
The offenses attributed to the candidate for the highest position in the state are:
- incitement to actions against the constitutional order, in attempted form; communication of false information; continuous false statements (regarding the sources of campaign financing and asset declarations);
- initiation or establishment of an organization with a fascist, racist, or xenophobic character, adherence or support, in any form, to such a group; promotion, in public, of the cult of persons guilty of committing crimes of genocide against humanity and war crimes, as well as the act of promoting, in public, fascist, legionary, racist, or xenophobic ideas, concepts, or doctrines, initiation or establishment of an anti-Semitic organization, adherence or support, in any form, to such an organization.