BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romania’s far right has four days to find a replacement presidential candidate for pro-Russian Calin Georgescu, who is unlikely to succeed on Tuesday in his attempt to overturn a ban on his standing in an election rerun in May.
The 62-year-old ran as an independent in last year’s presidential election which was annulled in December by the country’s top court due to undeclared funding and suspicion of Russian meddling in his favour, denied by Moscow and Georgescu.
Georgescu submitted his candidacy on Friday but the central election authority rejected it two days later, prompting a small but violent clash between his supporters and police.
He has challenged the ban at the top court which meets at 1500 GMT and is expected to uphold it. The decision will be final and can not be challenged.
The ultranationalist parties which backed Georgescu saw a surge in support in parliamentary elections and won 35% of seats, forming a powerful opposition to the pro-NATO European government.
The deadline to submit presidential bids ahead of the May election is March 15, giving the hard right opposition parties, including the Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR) and the Young People Party (POT) little time to put forward a viable replacement. Much will depend on Georgescu’s endorsement.
“There is a beauty contest in the ultranationalist camp right now,” said political commentator Radu Magdin.
“They need a name and once that is announced a candidacy can be submitted before deadline even if it is tight.”
Georgescu remained voters’ top choice for the May ballot, opinion surveys have shown, and his endorsement will carry weight although it wasn’t a guarantee.
“A political endorsement has never meant a 100% transfer of votes,” Magdin added.
AUR leader George Simion, who ranked fourth in the first round of the voided presidential election is one of the proposed replacements although he has said he does not want to run. On Monday he said all options were on the table and that Georgescu would decide on future steps.
Prosecutors said they opened a criminal investigation against Simion for inciting violence after Georgescu was bared.
Even with Georgescu out of the running, voters were expected to lean towards anti-establishment parties.
“I will vote for anyone new who isn’t a part of this system and everyone I meet says the same, they are fed up with these same politicians,” said 52-year-old taxi driver Ionel Popa.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
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