[Regnum] Romanian investigative bodies believe that former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu was preparing a coup after the court annulled his victory in the first round of elections in December 2024. This was reported on May 17 by the Politico newspaper, citing case materials.
Georgescu reportedly gathered his comrades at a horse base near Bucharest. Horatiu Potra, who allegedly led a group of mercenaries, was also there. According to the newspaper, the group planned to organize unrest in order to seize power.
It is not known what exactly Georgescu discussed with his supporters at the equestrian base. One of its owners testified that the meeting was tense.
"I realized that their discussions could be somehow connected with the cancellation of the elections. This assumption was supported by their behavior. When I entered the room, they suddenly fell silent," the newspaper quoted the witness as saying.
According to the newspaper, during the searches Potra was found to have hidden weapons and more than €3 million in cash. An international arrest warrant was issued in his name, accusing him of attempting to violate the constitutional order. He was abroad at the time. Both Georgescu and Potra deny the charges, and their lawyers said the authorities were persecuting the former presidential candidate for political reasons.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Constitutional Court of Romania in December 2024 overturned Georgescu's victory in the first round of the presidential elections. The reason given was the large number of complaints. The politician called this step a coup d'état.
New elections for the President of Romania were scheduled for May 2025. Georgescu submitted documents to participate in them, but the Central Electoral Bureau rejected his candidacy, stating that the documents he submitted allegedly did not comply with legal requirements.
The first round of new elections took place on May 4, and was won by a far-right candidate, the head of the Alliance for the Unification of Romanians, George Simion. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that Romanian citizens were deprived of the right to vote for the candidate they wanted, since the favorite was thrown out of the process.
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