BUCHAREST, Romania — A top Romanian court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by far-right politician Calin Georgescu to lift a ban on his candidacy for the rerun in May of Romania’s presidential election, after the same court annulled last year’s election in which Georgescu won the first round.

The ruling by the Constitutional Court in the capital Bucharest, which was unanimous, came two days after the Central Election Bureau rejected Georgescu’s candidacy for the May election. It wasn’t immediately clear on what grounds the court made Tuesday’s decision, which is final.

Hundreds of Georgescu supporters who had gathered near the court, many waving Romanian flags, responded by chanting “Thieves!”

Election Cancellation and Allegations

The bureau had cited in its decision on Sunday the Constitutional Court’s ruling last year to cancel the elections after allegations that there were electoral violations and that Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote Georgescu, who ran as an independent. The decision to cancel the election was made two days before the Dec. 8 runoff.

After the court’s decision, Georgescu posted a video online, declaring that “the system does not accept” outsiders. He went on to criticize Romania’s dependance on the EU for financial aid and NATO for defense, and portrayed his campaign as fighting endemic corruption, and “the humiliations and injustices we are subjected to.”

“The Romanian people have awakened their conscience to save themselves,” he said. “Democracy and freedom are taking their last breath, and that is why, more than ever, we must show, democratically and peacefully, that our choice matters until the very end.”

Political Tensions and Far-Right Response

The court’s decision on Tuesday is likely to inflame tensions in the European Union and in the NATO member country, which has been gripped by a protracted political crisis since the election was canceled last year.

The first round of the rerun is scheduled for May 4. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the ballots, a runoff will follow on May 18.

Romania’s far-right — which holds about a third of seats in the country’s legislature — will likely seek to replace Georgescu’s candidacy, the deadline for which is March 15 at midnight. Many observers have speculated that his close political ally, George Simion, could take up the mantle.

“We will decide tonight what is happening next because we are facing a huge blow against democracy and the rule of law,” Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, told The Associated Press after the ruling on Tuesday. “There is no democracy in Romania, I hope we will restore it.”

Criminal Investigation and International Reactions

The court’s final decision came after prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against Georgescu last month, accusing him of “incitement to actions against the constitutional order,” supporting fascist groups and false declarations of electoral campaign funding and asset disclosures.

Before the Nov. 24 election, Georgescu, who is under judicial control and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, had polled in the single digits and declared zero campaign spending. Allegations quickly emerged of electoral violations and Russian interference. Moscow denied that it had meddled in the election.

Georgescu has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and questioned Ukraine’s statehood in the past, but says that he’s not pro-Russia. He has also sparked controversy in the past for describing Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders from the 1930s and 1940s as national heroes.

Romania’s decision to annul the election, and this week’s ban on Georgescu’s candidacy in the redo, has been strongly criticized by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk and Moscow.

Russian state news agency Tass quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Tuesday that any election without Georgescu’s participation, “Will have no legitimacy.” That remark came a day after Musk asked in a post on his X account: “How can a judge end democracy in Romania?”

Elena Lasconi, the leader of the Save Romania Union party, who was set to face Georgescu in the scheduled runoff last year, said after the court’s decision that “Romanians need to regain their confidence in the institutions” and that “We are more divided than ever!”

“I understand that some people are angry and others are happy about this decision,” she wrote on Facebook. “But we cannot celebrate without thinking that there are still consequences: frustration, deepening divisions and growing distrust in our institutions. … Our democracy is fragile and such a decision should remain an exception, not a rule.”

Incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, who is running in the upcoming election as an independent under the campaign slogan “Honest Romania,” responded to the court’s decision by saying “Corrupt political parties … are primarily responsible for the chaotic situation we are in today.”

“The Romanian state is weak and vulnerable. It must change. Romanians are divided and angry. That must also change,” he said in a post on Facebook. “It is the mission of the future president to restart the fight against corruption and rebuild bridges within society.”