Calin Georgescu has the support of over 40% of the voters but is not allowed to stand in rerun of the presidential election

The Electoral Office decided last night that Calin Georgescu, who won the first round of the cancelled Presidential election in November, will not be allowed to stand in the postponed election. It's a brave new world. Frau von der Leyen and the panjandrums of the European Union will be pleased, so will the Soros people in Bucharest, but in Washington DC there will be another view.

Would there be an uprising like in December 1989? No, though I was told there would be. I thought of walking over to see but could not be bothered.

Some demonstrators appeared as a result of messages on social media, seemingly for the sake of letting pictures be sent around the world in seconds on X.

Almost everyone I know will be relieved except the waiters, porters, taxi drivers and shop assistants, the forty percent of the electorate who would vote for Georgescu and many who wouldn't. 

I think absolutely any citizen should be allowed to stand in an election, even if in prison. Eugene Debs the Socialist contested a US presidential election from behind bars in 1920.

A poll carried out by Verified for the ruling coalition’s presidential candidate Crin Antonescu showed that, if the 2025 presidential elections were to take place next Sunday, 40% would vote for Călin Georgescu, a big increase on the 23% he won in the cancelled election in November. He is followed by Crin Antonescu on 18.5% and the Mayor of Bucharest Nicușor Dan (anti-system independent) on 12%, Libertatea.ro reported.