Romania: Government crisis challenges democratic bodies

Romania once again finds itself in the midst of a deep national crisis.

The latest political uncertainty was triggered in December 2024 when the country's Constitutional Court controversially annulled the presidential election held the previous month. The court suspected that far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, who won the election in the first round, benefited from a targeted disinformation campaign.

Months later, the atmosphere is still tense, with violent night-time protests roiling the capital Bucharest on March 9.

The demonstrators took to the streets after Romania's Central Election Bureau, barred pro-Russian Georgescu from running in a rerun of the presidential election set for May.

Georgescu's candidacy violated the president's very obligation to defend the constitution and democracy, the bureau ruled.

The decision, which the Constitutional Court has subsequently upheld in a final ruling, triggered supporters of far-right, anti-Western and pro-Russian forces parties to rampage through the city center, destroying shops and cafes, and fighting with the police.

Investigation against a coup leader

The court's initial annulment of the November 2024 election came after declassified documents suggested that paid Romanian influencers promoted Georgescu and that Russia coordinated an online campaign in his favor.

The Georgescu case gained international dimensions when US Vice President JD Vance said in February that free speech was in "retreat" in Europe and listed Romania's canceled elections as evidence of this.

Georgescu is also supported by billionaire and US President Donald Trump's special envoy Elon Musk, who described Georgescu being barred from the election as "crazy" in a post on X on March 10.

Georgescu leaves no doubt that he wants to abolish "the system" and the political elite, whom many Romanians see as corrupt and incompetent.

Lack of will to reform

This latest government crisis reflects a chronic unwillingness of the political elite to implement reforms and ensure a transparent and sustainable governance. Instead, corruption, nepotism, self-enrichment, political influence on the judiciary and a lack of transparency in state administration remain widespread.

Despite Romania experiencing strong overall development in recent decades, this hasn't trickled down to rural regions, which are also emptying as people move to urban areas.

Infrastructure development is slow and often without a plan.

Romania also faces significant problems due to decades of missing education system reforms and a weak media sector.

All of this benefits far-right extremists who can spread fake news and blatant lies on social media platforms such as TikTok, in public appearances and interviews, without journalists contradicting them or publishing fact checks.

Far-right success

This crisis comes a decade after Romania's recently resigned President Klaus Iohannis promised to radically reform the country in 2014. But instead of reforms, his two terms in office saw a halt to judicial reforms, less action against corruption and constant government crises.

Against this backdrop and in the absence of political alternatives, the popularity of Romania's three far-right parties has skyrocketed. In December 2024, they won around 35% in parliamentary elections.

Meanwhile, Romania's political elite is accused of cracking down on Georgescu using anti-democratic means. For example, Georgescu has been subject to criminal investigations since February 2022 for supporting fascist groups. However as recently as in November 2024, this wasn't a reason to exclude him from running in the presidential election.

"This does not mean that everything is fine and that things can continue as before," journalist Ioana Ene Dogoiu wrote about the election bureau's decision to ban Georgescu in an op-ed on Spotmedia, a Romanian news website.

"We are in a deep crisis, with a battered, blunt democracy, a polarized society, frayed institutions and an abysmal mistrust between the electorate and the political class.

"These are the big problems, Georgescu has only benefited from them. If they remain, it's only a matter of time before a new profiteer comes along," Dogoiu concluded.

This article was originally published in German.