Former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu backed by a “network with money,” president says

During an interview given on Thursday, September 25, Romanian president Nicușor Dan said that far-right former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, who declared no campaign funds in the cancelled 2024 presidential elections, had behind him “a network that included some Romanians with money.”

“Călin Georgescu was not such a lone rider who had, let’s say, a vision, which vision convinced 2-3 million people. He had behind him a network that included some Romanians with money,” Nicușor Dan told Digi24.

“He is someone who has had this vocation of savior for a long time. And, at one point, some people with money aligned behind him,” the president specified.

He added that the network’s source can be traced back to Moscow. “The fact that the elections in Romania could have been influenced by Russia is very clear, and that is proven,” Dan said.

The president further stated that he was first skeptical of the part played by Horațiu Potra, the head of the mercenary group behind Georgescu, who planned to incite protests and destabilize the government at that time.

“What could 10 people do with a few knives and 3 grenades? But in fact, they weren’t 5-6, they were about 70, and they were people who had trained to do such a thing in a public gathering. For example, to force the entrance into a public gathering,” he said.

During the same interview, Dan praised former president Klaus Iohannis and the Constitutional Court for standing by their decision annulling the 2024 presidential elections after evidence of external influence. “It was a moment of weakness and of error. But it ended with a courageous decision,” he said, highlighting the hybrid war waged by Russia on Europe.

The president also said that Romanian intelligence services had information about Călin Georgescu, but that they were surprised by the speed and intensity of the social media campaign promoting him. The same phenomenon shocked allied intelligence services, he said.

“The partner services do not deal with Romania, but they keep an eye on the global world. It was a surprise for everyone the way in which it was operated for a very short period of time,” explained Nicușor Dan.

Although the annulment was necessary, Dan said, it left a scar on Romanian society, dividing it into two roughly equal parts that no longer listen to each other.