Explainer-Why is Calin Georgescu's Romanian presidential bid being blocked?

By Luiza Ilie

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian authorities have barred far-right pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu from taking part in May's rerun of a cancel led presidential election, prompting him on Monday to say he would challenge the decision at the Constitutional Court.

Romania, a member of NATO and the European Union, is set to repeat its two-round presidential election on May 4 and 18 after the Constitutional Court voided the initial ballot in December following accusations of Russian meddling in Georgescu's favor.

Here are details about why Georgescu's bid to run again for the presidency was blocked.

WHY IS GEORGESCU BARRED FROM THE ELECTION?

Romania's central election authority said on Sunday its decision to bar Georgescu was based on two Constitutional Court rulings.

The first is the court's decision to void December's election after concluding that it had been spoiled by vote manipulation, campaign irregularities and non-transparent funding along with suspected Russian meddling, a charge denied by Moscow.

The second is an October ruling in which the court banned European Parliament lawmaker Diana Sosoaca from running for president because her antisemitic, pro-Russian views meant she would be unable to uphold the rule of law if she were elected.

Georgescu himself is under criminal investigation on six counts, including membership of a fascist organisation and communicating false information about campaign financing.

He won the first round of the cancelled election following a highly coordinated TikTok campaign despite saying he had spent zero funds. He denies any wrongdoing.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

Challenges to decisions by Romania's central election authority must be filed within 24 hours. The Constitutional Court must solve them within 48 hours, which means a decision regarding Georgescu's bid should come by Wednesday.

If the court upholds the central election authority's ban, three opposition ultranationalist parties, which hold 35% of seats in parliament and which backed Georgescu's previous presidential bid, risk having no candidate in the May election.

The parties have until March 15 to submit paperwork to the election authority - including at least 200,000 endorsement signatures from potential voters - for any other candidates.

The final list of candidates allowed to run for the presidency will be announced by March 19.

George Simion, leader of the opposition Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR), parliament's second-largest party, did not rule out running for the top job when asked by reporters on Monday.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF BANNING GEORGESCU?

Blocking Georgescu from running again runs the risk of fuelling domestic unrest and straining Romania's strategic partnership with the United States.

Since the election was cancelled on Dec. 6, pro-Georgescu rallies have so far been small but vocal. After the election authority's ban on Sunday, a few hundred supporters smashed pavements and set rubbish bins ablaze in capital Bucharest.

The cancellation of the election has also put Romania in the crosshairs of a dispute between U.S. President Donald Trump's administration and European nations over how democratic values should be defined.

Several members of the Trump administration - most notably Vice President JD Vance and tech billionaire Elon Musk - have said the cancellation is an example of European governments suppressing freedom of speech and political opponents.

However, European diplomats have expressed support for the independence of Romanian courts.

Georgescu has praised both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, his opposition to higher European defence spending - something demanded by Trump - and to NATO military bases in Romania would be a potential irritant in future relations with the U.S. if he ever did become president.

Analysts have also said allowing Georgescu to run for the presidency brought greater risks than blocking him as his hostility to NATO and the EU and his opposition to providing military aid to Ukraine would completely upend Romania's current pro-Western path at a difficult geopolitical juncture for Europe.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Gareth Jones)