Romanian Protesters Call for Reversal of Presidential Election Cancellation
Thousands gather in Bucharest to call for the postponed election to proceed and for President Klaus Iohannis to resign.
Thousands of Romanians flooded the streets of Bucharest on Sunday, calling for the reinstatement of the canceled presidential election and the resignation of outgoing President Klaus Iohannis.
The protests were ignited by a contentious decision from Romania's top court on December 6, which annulled the presidential election just two days before the second-round vote.
The court's ruling followed accusations that leading candidate Calin Georgescu benefited from an unfair social media campaign, allegedly orchestrated by Russia, a claim Moscow has denied.
The court demanded a complete rerun of the election, but the government has not yet set a definite date, although party leaders have agreed to hold the election in two rounds on May 4 and May 18. Iohannis, whose term concluded on December 21, will remain in office until a new president is elected. Protesters, including members of the opposition hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR), expressed fury over the cancellation, with some advocating for the election to occur as initially planned.
AUR leader George Simion insisted that the second-round election should happen immediately, stating, “We demand a return to democracy by resuming the election with the second round.” While organizers claimed 100,000 people participated, riot police estimated the crowd at approximately 20,000.
The protest was characterized by chants of “Freedom” and demands for the election to be reinstated. Among the demonstrators was Bogdan Danila, a truck driver, who criticized Iohannis for his decade-long tenure, alleging that politicians had betrayed the public and were corrupt.
Some protesters carried portraits of Georgescu or Christian Orthodox icons, while vendors sold Romanian flags and vuvuzelas.
One protester, Cornelia, an economist, urged authorities to disclose reasons for the election's cancellation and provide evidence to support the decision.
“At this rate, we won’t be voting anymore,” she remarked, hinting that the government might appoint a leader “like in the old days.” The future of Georgescu's candidacy remains uncertain, particularly given his stance against Romania’s support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
Whether Georgescu will be allowed to run again for president is still unclear, as the election rerun is being closely monitored by both domestic and international observers.
The protests were ignited by a contentious decision from Romania's top court on December 6, which annulled the presidential election just two days before the second-round vote.
The court's ruling followed accusations that leading candidate Calin Georgescu benefited from an unfair social media campaign, allegedly orchestrated by Russia, a claim Moscow has denied.
The court demanded a complete rerun of the election, but the government has not yet set a definite date, although party leaders have agreed to hold the election in two rounds on May 4 and May 18. Iohannis, whose term concluded on December 21, will remain in office until a new president is elected. Protesters, including members of the opposition hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR), expressed fury over the cancellation, with some advocating for the election to occur as initially planned.
AUR leader George Simion insisted that the second-round election should happen immediately, stating, “We demand a return to democracy by resuming the election with the second round.” While organizers claimed 100,000 people participated, riot police estimated the crowd at approximately 20,000.
The protest was characterized by chants of “Freedom” and demands for the election to be reinstated. Among the demonstrators was Bogdan Danila, a truck driver, who criticized Iohannis for his decade-long tenure, alleging that politicians had betrayed the public and were corrupt.
Some protesters carried portraits of Georgescu or Christian Orthodox icons, while vendors sold Romanian flags and vuvuzelas.
One protester, Cornelia, an economist, urged authorities to disclose reasons for the election's cancellation and provide evidence to support the decision.
“At this rate, we won’t be voting anymore,” she remarked, hinting that the government might appoint a leader “like in the old days.” The future of Georgescu's candidacy remains uncertain, particularly given his stance against Romania’s support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
Whether Georgescu will be allowed to run again for president is still unclear, as the election rerun is being closely monitored by both domestic and international observers.
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