Seven months of political shocks in Romania: prohibitions of candidates, cancellation of elections and resignation of the president of the country

The last seven months have been the most complicated and unpredictable in the Romanian political landscape of the last decades, with decisions that have represented so many political shocks, from the prohibition of Diana Şoșoaca until the annulment of the presidential elections and the resignation of Klaus Iohannis.

Diana Şoșoaca and Călin Georgescu, eliminated from the presidential elections Photo Adevărul Archive

At the beginning of last year, nothing announced the political storms that would shake Romania over the coming months. But from October 2024, everything has changed. We present in the following a retrospective of seven months of political shocks that made the political landscape from us volatile and more divided.

October 5, 2024. The judges of the Constitutional Court rejected the candidacy of Diana Şoșoaca in the presidential elections to be held at the end of November. The decision was a final one, being subsequently communicated to the Central Electoral Bureau.

The RCC concluded in his public court that Diana Şoșoaca, based on his public speeches and the available positions, could not, as president of Romania, respect the country's constitution and protect democracy, threatening Romania to NATO and the EU.

The court stated in October 2024 that he observed “a constant promotion of an anti-democratic and anti-Semitic discourse by Mrs. Iovanovici-Shiosoaca“, As well as a”Systematic, persistent and long-term behavior intended to undermine the constitutional foundations of the Romanian state and its guarantees, respectively the belonging of Romania to Euro-Atlantic structures”.

November 24, 2024. The first tour of the presidential elections produced a total shock. The independent pro-Rus candidate Călin Georgescu occupied an unexpected place 1, with 22.94% of the votes (2,120,404 votes), followed by Elena Lasconi (Union Save Romania), with 19.18% of votes (1,772,503 votes). The two were to face in the second round of December 8, 2024. The surprise of Călin Georgescu's classification was the greater the greater because in all the polls did not appear among the first three favorites.

Only in the days that followed the shock result in the first round, step by step to come out numerous evidence of external involvement in the support of Călin Georgescu.

Călin Georgescu, former pro-Russian photo candidate Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea

December 4, 2024. In the face of an increasing pressure of public opinion, CSAT has set out documents related to Călin Georgescu's Tiktok campaign.

The SRI informed that the network of 25,000 accounts that promoted Călin Georgescu became very active two weeks before the first round of the presidential elections. More than 700 accounts were created since 2016 and had a reduced activity until November 11, 2024. The SRI officers found that the operating mode was meant to make it difficult to identify the accounts belonging to the network.

The document mentioned that the activity of Tiktok accounts has been organized on Telegram, some groups being established since 2022.

SRI also pointed out aspects regarding the mechanisms of financing of the election campaign, confirming the involvement of Bogdan Peșchir in financing the promotion of Călin Georgescu. Bogdan Peșchir, known as “Bogpr” on the Tiktok platform, made $ 381,000 payments from October 24 to November 24 to the users of Tiktok accounts involved in promoting Călin Georgescu, according to the SRI.

Absolutely strange, Călin Georgescu had declared at the Permanent Electoral Authority zero lei.

How was the election cancellation motivated

December 6, 2024. Date and unprecedented decision. Two days before the second round of the elections, the Constitutional Court canceled the 1st tour of the presidential elections, announcing that the electoral process will be resumed in full.

The Court received four notifications after the desecretion of the CSAT documents that show that although Călin Georgescu declared expenses in the election campaign, his promotion on Tiktok was against cost.

The Constitutional Court has argued in motivating the unprecedented decision that, after the declassification of the notes of intelligence services, he found “That the electoral process regarding the election of the President of Romania was vitiated throughout its course and in all stages of multiple irregularities and violations of the electoral legislation that distorted the free and correct character expressed by the citizens and the equal opportunities of the electoral competitors, they have affected the transparent character and the equilitable character of the electoral. its lafinance. All these aspects had a convergent effect of esconsidating the essential principles of democratic elections”.

The CCR also mentioned that the way of conducting the electoral process affected the voting freedom of citizens.

Klaus Iohannis resigned on Feb 10 Photos Photos/George Călin

February 10, 2025.
Confronted with more and more criticisms, Klaus Iohannis announced his resignation the day before the Parliament begins the procedure, theoretically, could have led to the loss of all the benefits of retired president. He motivated his gesture by the fact that he wants to avoid an internal and external crisis that he could cause his suspension from office. “We will be laughing at the world,” the dismissal president anticipated any international reactions. His resignation came into effect on February 12, Klaus Iohannis said.

February 12, 2025.
After the resignation of Klaus Iohannis from the position of president of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, who held the position of president of the Senate, became interim president of Romania (with restricted duties), to remain in Cotroceni, until the new president will be invested in office, following the presidential elections.

February 26, 2025.
The prosecutors ordered the criminal action to the criminal action against Călin Georgescu for six charges, including instigating actions against the constitutional order, the communication of false information, false in continuous form of the sources of financing of the election campaign and the declarations of wealth. It is investigated under judicial control.

Calin Georgescu was raised in traffic on February 26, 2025, following the marathon searches carried out in several counties, in a file actions against the constitutional order, public instigation, the initiation of an organization of a fascist character, false in statements regarding the sources of financing of the election campaign.

The prosecutors found in the houses of Horațiu Potra's close weapons, assault ammunition and over a million dollars hidden in a safe. At the same time, prosecutors have documented multiple links between Călin Georgescu and Russia's entourage, and found that Horațiu Potra has direct connections with circles of influence in Russia and the paramilitary organization.

The prohibition of Georgescu's candidacy has led to Photos/George Călin photo protests

March 11, 2025.
The Constitutional Court has unanimously rejected the candidacy of Călin Georgescu in the presidential elections, thus maintaining the decision of the Central Electoral Bureau of March 9, which rejected the candidacy because the pro-Russian politician does not “respect the conditions provided by law”, as the BEC motivated. Previously, the BEC decision of March 9 forbidding the candidacy had led to violent protests of Georgescu's supporters.

The main reasons for the Court to reject Georgescu's candidacy were the following:

1. The electoral bureau applied the provisions of two previous RCC decisions of 2024, which have established that certain behaviors and statements of the candidates can be incompatible with the constitutional values.

2. Călin Georgescu was involved in irregularities in the presidential elections of 2024, which led to its cancellation. The Court considered that, by default, this conduct affects the right to apply in 2025.

Although Călin Georgescu was not criminally convicted, the judges of the Constitutional Court appreciated that his statements and actions were contrary to democracy and the rule of law.

March 17, 2025. A new decision of the Constitutional Court has definitively established that Diana Şoșoaca, the head of SOS Romania, will not be able to compete in the presidential elections in May.

The Central Electoral Office referred, in the reasoning of the decision by which he rejected the candidacy of Diana Şosoacă, to the CCR decision of 2024 by which she was forbidden to enter the race for presidential.