The European Commission is under increasing pressure to address the unfolding political crisis in Romania after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called for clarity on the rejection of Calin Georgescu’s presidential candidacy.
Fico’s remarks, shared on social media, warn that the Commission’s silence would further undermine trust in the European Union.
Fico emphasized that the European Commission “must take a position” on the situation one way or another, asserting that either Georgescu, a nationalist and NATO-skeptic, is right, or the Romanian authorities’ decision to bar him from running is justified.
“The European Commission (EC) must take a position on the presidential elections in Romania — and take responsibility for it. If Mr. Georgescu is being wronged simply because he has a different opinion, he must be given European protection. If the EC is convinced that the Romanian authorities are doing the right thing, it must stand up for them. The only thing the EC cannot do is to remain silent,” Fico declared.
The controversy erupted after Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) rejected Georgescu’s candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections on Sunday evening. The decision, taken with 10 votes in favor out of the 14-member committee, sparked protests in Bucharest, where demonstrators clashed with police, waving national flags and chanting slogans calling for “revolution.” Riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, and multiple arrests were made.
The BEC cited a missing signature on an annex of Georgescu’s declaration of wealth as the reason for his disqualification. Former Constitutional Court judge Tudorel Toader clarified that the annexes are a mandatory component of the documentation and that both substantive and procedural requirements must be met.
Georgescu, who had previously won the first round of the presidential elections before they were annulled, condemned the decision as a political maneuver. “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!” he wrote on social media.
Fico drew parallels between Georgescu’s case and his own experiences in Slovakia, where he claims he faced politically motivated efforts to imprison him as an opposition leader between 2020 and 2023. He accused the European Commission, particularly then-justice commissioner Didier Reynders, of turning a blind eye to alleged democratic backsliding in Slovakia because the country’s government at the time was aligned with Brussels.
“The EC at that time did not give a damn about Slovakia. They had an obedient government, and nobody cared about the rights of the leader of the opposition and the nature of democracy in Slovakia,” Fico wrote.
The rejection of Georgescu’s candidacy has drawn sharp criticism from several political figures and observers, including Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of Spain’s Vox party Santiago Abascal, and U.S. billionaire Elon Musk.
George Simion, president of Romania’s right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party, insisted the decision was overtly political. “It was rejected without any reason. All the papers were in good order. We live in a dictatorship. Please help us. Please be on our side to restore democracy in Romania,” Simion stated.
Fico warned that the EU’s credibility is on the line, warning that if it does not take a view, “a dangerous precedent is being set where, in a free democratic election, it will be possible to remove a successful candidate simply because he does not hold a favorable opinion.”
