by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
BUCHAREST/BUDAPEST (Worthy News)— Romania’s electoral bureau has cleared right party leader George Simion to run in the country’s tense presidential re-run election in May.
Simion, leader of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), the second-largest party in last year’s general election, had withdrawn from the presidential race in support of ultranationalist Călin Georgescu.
He announced his candidacy after Romania’s Constitutional Court barred Georgescu from running on the May ballot despite U.S. criticism.
Earlier, the country’s Central Electoral Bureau said Georgescu “had violated Romania’s election rules” while coming out of nowhere to win the first round of the presidential vote last November, partly due to a wildly successful social media platform TikTok campaign.
Georgescu won the first round of the initial presidential elections in December before they were annulled.
Authorities said the vote had been overshadowed by vote manipulation, campaign irregularities, and non-transparent funding along with suspected Russian meddling, a charge denied by Moscow.
Georgescu himself is under criminal investigation on six counts, including “membership of a fascist organization” and “communicating false information” about campaign financing.
OFFICIALS QUESTIONED
Officials also questioned how he could win the first round of the canceled election after a highly coordinated TikTok campaign despite saying he had spent zero funds. He denies any wrongdoing.
Simion, 38, is also under criminal investigation for “inciting violence” after last year’s first-round winner, Georgescu, was barred from entering the rerun.
He has also denied any wrongdoing and claims the investigation is politically motivated.
Simon has been a key figure in recent protests by what critics view as far-right groups.
They denounced a top court’s decision to cancel the previous election, which Simion has described as a coup to undermine democracy.
The administration of U.S. President Donald J. Trump has also expressed concern. U.S. Vice President JD Vance and billionaire Elon Musk have launched forceful attacks on Romania’s decision to cancel its presidential election in December.
Vance said the cancellation meant Romania does not share American values, while Musk labeled the country’s top court chief judge a “tyrant.” The rerun elections will be held on May 4 and May 18 this year.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The U.S. military struck a second vessel in international waters on Monday, killing three people alleged to be Venezuelan “narcoterrorists” transporting illegal drugs, President Donald Trump announced.
The long-anticipated Israeli ground invasion of Gaza City erupted late Monday night, with IDF tanks rolling into the heart of the city in what Palestinian sources described as the most intense fighting in northern Gaza in two years.
Christians in Pakistan tell Worthy News they are reeling after two shocking incidents — the murder of three believers in Islamabad and the forced removal of a kidney from a Christian laborer in Faisalabad — which advocacy group LEAD Ministries Pakistan says highlight systemic abuse of religious minorities.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump has urged American companies to stop publishing quarterly financial reports, pointing to China’s “long-term approach” as a model, although it is a Communist-ruled nation. He suggested that moving to semi-annual disclosures would cut costs and allow executives to focus on growth rather than short-term market pressures.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted “full responsibility” for an airstrike in Qatar that killed Hamas operatives, while the United States reaffirmed support for his campaign to dismantle the designated terror group, despite Washington’s reservations over the recent attack.
A government ban on major social media platforms that enraged young Nepalis has spiraled into the country’s deadliest political violence in decades, with authorities saying Sunday that at least 72 people have been killed and hundreds more injured during protests reflecting years of frustration over corruption, inequality, and “curbs on freedoms.”
Throughout the Hill Country, crosses, words of Jesus, prayers and messages of hope are written on memorials honoring nearly 150 killed from the catastrophic July 4 flash flood.