Romanias presidential frontrunner has been barred from attempting to run for office again

Romanian presidential hopeful Calin Georgescu has branded the EU a "dictatorship" and his home country a "tyranny" after the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) in Bucharest shot down his candidacy for the upcoming election re-run.

The BEC dismissed Georgescu's bid late on Sunday, having received more than 1,000 challenges against him, largely revolving around his allegedly "anti-democratic" and "extremist" stance. According to the ruling published on Sunday evening, Georgescu had "failed to comply with the rules of the electoral procedure, violating the very obligation... to defend democracy."

The presidential hopeful, who was a clear favorite in the upcoming election and was polling between 40% and 45%, strongly condemned the decision.

"A direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide! I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It's that simple! Europe is now a dictatorship; Romania is under tyranny!" Georgescu wrote on X.

The BEC ruling has prompted scuffles between Georgescu's supporters and law enforcement outside the electoral board. The protesters tried to breach police barriers erected around the building, with the law enforcement responding with tear gas and pepper spray.

Georgescu, a critic of NATO and the EU and an opponent of aiding Ukraine, made the headlines last November when he scored a surprise victory in the first round of presidential election, receiving 23% of the votes. The result, however, was promptly annulled by Romania's Constitutional Court, which cited "irregularities" in the candidate's campaign and intelligence reports claiming Russian meddling.

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(RT.com)