Protests broke out outside the Central Electoral Bureau in Bucharest after the candidacy of Călin Georgescu was rejected for the Romanian presidential elections.
Upon learning of the Bureau’s decision, Georgescu’s supporters, who had gathered nearby, broke through barriers and started rioting, prompting law enforcement intervention. In downtown Bucharest, demonstrators threw stones, firecrackers, and bottles at the police, set bushes and trash bins on fire, and overturned a car.
After several officers were injured, the police responded with tear gas.
By around 1:30 AM, authorities managed to restore order, though a few dozen Georgescu supporters remained on the streets.
On March 9, Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau decided to reject Călin Georgescu’s candidacy for the presidential elections.
Notably, Romania’s Constitutional Court took the unprecedented step of annulling the first round of elections following allegations that Russia had orchestrated a coordinated online campaign to promote Georgescu’s candidacy.
