Former Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu announced Monday that he will no longer seek a position within the Romanian government or attempt to lead a political party.
In a video published on social media, Georgescu stated, “I have chosen to end my active involvement in the political process, considering that this phase of the sovereignist movement has ended.”
He further clarified that, while this was not an official resignation or permanent retirement, he would now choose to be a “passive observer” of politics and would not pursue any future government roles or political leadership positions.
Georgescu initially won the first round of Romania’s presidential election last November and quickly became the frontrunner to win the run-off. However, the Romanian Supreme Court annulled the results after the country’s intelligence services presented evidence of foreign interference, allegedly stemming from a TikTok campaign believed to be conducted by Russia.
It was later revealed that the campaign had actually been orchestrated by a Romanian opposition political party.
Despite this revelation, Georgescu was banned from participating in the election re-run and became the subject of a police investigation for allegedly inciting actions against the state.
Georgescu went on to endorse and actively campaign for George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (UAR). Simion won the first round of the election do-over on May 4, but ultimately lost the run-off to Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, who was inaugurated on Monday.
Georgescu, who had seemingly come out of nowhere last year to become a serious contender for the presidency, campaigned on a platform critical of the European Union and supportive of Romania's involvement in NATO and its backing of Ukraine. Some observers believe these positions prompted Romania’s pro-EU government—as well as the EU itself—to take steps to prevent him from attaining power.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov later claimed that he was approached by the head of French intelligence prior to the second round of the election, who allegedly requested that he ban pro-Simion and anti-EU Romanian voices from the platform ahead of the vote.