Romania bans Georgescu from presidential election

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Romania has banned the far-right frontrunner in the country’s presidential vote from taking part in the election, in a move that comes despite warnings from the US to respect voters’ wishes.

The country’s electoral bureau said on Sunday it was invalidating Călin Georgescu’s candidacy after receiving objections that he had violated laws against extremism.

The repeat elections have been scheduled for May 8 and 22 after a first round in November was annulled by the constitutional court following allegations of Russian meddling in favour of Georgescu.

Recent polls have suggested he is the frontrunner, with some quoting more than 40 per cent support for him.

JD Vance has denounced the annulment of last year’s election as an indication of European backsliding on democracy. The US vice-president accused Romanian authorities of bowing to “flimsy” intelligence and alleged pressure from other European capitals.

This is a developing story.