Far-right candidate excluded from Romania presidential election

BUCHAREST: Romania´s electoral bureau on Sunday rejected the candidacy submitted by far-right hopeful Calin Georgescu for a re-run of last year´s presidential election in May, sparking outrage among his supporters in Bucharest.

Georgescu shot to prominence almost overnight to unexpectedly win the first round of a presidential election last November.

But Romania´s constitutional court annulled the ballot shortly before the second round was to be held in December, after claims of Russian meddling and a “massive” social media promotion of Georgescu.

In a statement on Sunday, the electoral bureau said it had adopted “the rejection of the registration of the independent candidacy” of Georgescu. It did not give its reasons for doing so.