Romanian far-right party AUR to decide on its presidential candidate

Romania's far-right party AUR has reportedly picked up several possible replacements for Calin Georgescu as presidential candidate on the night of March 11, but the final decision will be taken after consultations with Georgescu aimed at getting his support, Hotnews.ro reported.

Calin Georgescu cannot run in the May presidential elections after the Constitutional Court rejected all challenges against the Central Electoral Bureau's (BEC) decision to invalidate his candidacy.

AUR co-founder and leader George Simion received the strongest support to replace Georgescu, followed by sociologist Dan Dungaciu. Other candidates considered were actor Dan Puric, AUR deputy leader Claudiu Tarziu, but also the head of the junior far-right party POT Anamaria Gavrila, and Calin Georgescu's wife, Cristela Georgescu.

The support received from Calin Georgescu is essential for the far-right candidate nominated by AUR and POT, given Georgescu's massive support among the far-right electorate.

Calin Georgescu and the leaders of AUR and POT, George Simion and Anamaria Gavrila, met on March 10, after the Central Electoral Bureau rejected Georgescu's candidacy, to discuss further plans. At that time, Simion ruled out his candidacy as long as there was still a chance (in theory) for Georgescu to finally run after a potentially positive decision by the Constitutional Court.

"We are going together until the end. Peace, freedom, and democracy," Calin Georgescu said in a video posted on social media on March 10, in which he appeared alongside AUR leader George Simion and POT president Anamaria Gavrila.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Sabin Cirstoveanu)