Romanian prosecutors investigate candidacy of far-right politician Diana Șoșoacă in European elections

Romanian prosecutors are investigating far-right politician Diana Șoșoacă’s candidacy in this year’s European Parliament elections and have requested documents regarding the matter from the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP).

"We mention that on Friday, December 13, 2024, a request was received from the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice – National Anticorruption Directorate, requesting the submission of the candidate lists filed by the S.O.S. Romania party for the European parliamentary elections held on June 9, 2024,” AEP said in a press release.

Diana Șoșoacă, who became known for her extremist stances against Romania’s aid to Ukraine, vaccine mandates, and for promoting far-right leaders of the past like Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, has said that the investigation is an attack.

"They will try to remove us from Parliament. This is an attack on Diana Șoșoacă. Diana Șoșoacă will have to be imprisoned for life, and the S.O.S. Romania party will have to be dissolved because, for the first time in Romania’s history, an anti-system party has managed to enter Parliament,” she said, referencing the December 1 parliamentary elections in Romania in which her party received 7.76% of votes, above the 5% threshold required to enter the legislative.

The far-right leader has often received praise from Russian media and has attended events at the Russian Embassy in Bucharest numerous times.

“I’ll probably be arrested as well these days. It has already been clearly mentioned in the European Parliament that they are considering lifting my immunity. I told them I am not interested in immunity, and that I will have to be arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for high treason,” said Diana Șoșoacă in a statement for bzi.ro.

Șoșoacă’s mandate as a member of the European Parliament was validated earlier this year. She also attempted to run in the presidential elections, but her candidacy was invalidated by the Constitutional Court. The judges found that the MEP did not demonstrate a conduct befitting a presidential candidate, citing her antisemitic, anti-democratic, and other controversial behaviors.

Șoșoacă, the leader of the S.O.S. Romania party, described the decision as abusive and politically motivated.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Sabin Cirstoveanu)