Romania’s electoral body has rejected Calin Georgescu’s candidacy in the presidential election redo, after the far-right populist won the first round of last year’s race before a top court annulled the election.

BUCHAREST - Romania's Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) on Sunday rejected the candidacy of Calin Georgescu, a leading figure in the country's previous presidential race, for the 2025 presidential election. The BEC announced its decision to deny Georgescu's independent candidacy but did not disclose specific reasons for the rejection.

Last week, Romanian authorities expelled two Russian diplomats, military attaché Victor Makovskiy and his deputy Evgeny Ignatiev, who were accused of foreign election interference tied to Mr. Georgescu’s campaign.