Elon Musk has condemned Romania’s central election authority after it banned far-right, pro-Russia candidate Călin Georgescu from participating in a re-run of the country’s presidential election in May.
Newsweek has reached out to Musk’s team at Tesla and Georgescu’s team for comment via email.
Why It Matters
It is not the first time Musk has expressed his support for Georgescu, having previously criticized the Romanian government’s decision to cancel a re-run, alongside Vice President JD Vance.
The tech mogul spoke out in February when Georgescu was detained by authorities and wrote on X: “They just arrested the person who won the most votes in the Romanian presidential election. This is messed up.”
The decision to cancel December’s vote followed allegations of Russian interference in Georgescu’s favor in November’s original presidential election, which Moscow has denied.
Musk’s comments on right-wing politics abroad—having spoken out regarding German elections as well—could jeopardize the U.S.’ relations with its European allies because of his role in the American government.
Elon Musk shows his DOGE T-shirt to the media while walking on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, D.C., on March 9, 2025.
Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press
What To Know
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Tesla CEO responded to a Swedish journalist’s post about Romania banning Georgescu from running for president, writing on Sunday: “This is crazy!”
His comment comes after Bucharest barred Georgescu from running in a repeat election in May.
Prior to the ban, Georgescu re-submitted his candidacy for the May ballot re-run on March 7, according to The Guardian.
The Constitutional Court initially dismissed complaints against Georgescu’s candidacy, deeming them “inadmissible” on March 8, according to Romanian news outlet Digi24.
However, on March 9, the country’s electoral bureau, the BEC, ruled in a 10 to four vote that it would not allow Georgescu to run for president.
The election authority said that its decision was based on the Constitutional Court’s previous cancellation of the election after allegations that the far-right candidate did not respect ballot regulations.
An unidentified adviser to the right-wing politician said that Georgescu will be challenging the decision to ban him at the Constitutional Court. He must file this appeal within 24 hours, after which the court is expected to rule by Wednesday.
In another post on the social media platform on Sunday, Musk alleged that investor George Soros was involved in Romania’s barring of Georgescu, as he responded to another user’s post that said Soros funded an NGO which is “actively working to block Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu.” In response, Musk wrote, “Soros again …”
The decision by Romania’s central election authority follows Georgescu’s detainment by law enforcement on February 26, after they launched an investigation looking into his campaign following allegations of Russian interference.
The pro-Russian far-right candidate, unaffiliated with any political party, unexpectedly took the lead in Romania’s presidential election in November 2024. After this, former President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence documents that alleged that Russia orchestrated an election campaign to promote him on social media and communications platforms.
Georgescu has denied any wrongdoing and said that his campaign was supported by “a network of Romanian volunteers.”
During the investigation, a Bucharest district court upheld preventative measures against Georgescu after the candidate attempted to challenge them, including an obligation not to leave the country, not to bear firearms, and not to post xenophobic or antisemitic content on social media.
Bucharest annulled the results of the first round of the election, opted for a rerun, and ordered a recount. The second round of the Romanian presidential election was scheduled to take place in December but was voided.
Georgescu faces six charges including incitement to actions against the constitutional order, communication of false information, and false declarations in continuous form (regarding sources of financing of the electoral campaign and declarations of assets).
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, Georgescu wrote: “A direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide! I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It’s that simple! Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!”
In a series of posts on X, Samuel Ramani, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies, wrote: “The ban on Georgescu will trigger fierce backlash in the Trump administration. The Tate brothers return was a compromise that Romania made after JD Vance called out the elections. Will Romania compromise something else now? That is unclear.
“The ban on Georgescu is a decisive move by Romania to clamp down on the far-right and Russian influence (taking out the candidate who praises Putin is a big step) But the cleavages in Romanian society and politics will be sharpened in the weeks ahead.”
What Happens Next
It is unclear whether Georgescu’s appeal to the Romanian election authority’s decision will be successful.
