(15 Mar 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bucharest, Romania – 15 March 2025
1. Various of pro-European demonstration
2. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Corina Neagu, organiser:
“We are here because we are part of Europe, we cannot repudiate our common values. We have a country in which we were born and raised, we don’t want to leave Romania. I grew up here, I have my set of values from my parents. I traveled the world but my country is Romania and I don’t want to leave it.”
3. Mid of demonstration
4. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Mihai Calin, demonstrator:
“We are here to encourage each other because it a very troubled period in Europe. The extremes are on the rise, especially the far right, the impairment of Europe is underway. And generally speaking there’s an impairment of normal policies, for human rights for example. People are in danger of discouragement, disappointment… so we need to gather together, to reunite.”
5. Various of people demonstrating with phone lanterns and blue papers ++NIGHT SHOTS++
6. Various aerials of people at EU demonstration ++NIGHT SHOTS++
STORYLINE:
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in central Bucharest on Saturday, waving EU and Romanian flags at a pro-European rally, to counter what the organizers described as a “wave of sovereignism and ultranationalism” that “threatens our unity.”
It comes as the country’s electoral body rejected the candidacy of controversial far-right politician Diana Sosoaca in the presidential rerun in May, but approved George Simion, the leader of the country’s most popular far-right party.
Sosoaca said she will appeal the Central Election Bureau, or BEC’s decision, which has to be submitted to the Constitutional Court within 24 hours.
The bureau said it barred the pro-Russia Sosoaca, a former lawyer and leader of the far-right nationalist S.O.S. Romania party, from entering the race on the same grounds that she was excluded from last year’s annulled election.
The CCR argued that her public discourse, including opposition to Romania’s European Union and NATO memberships, made her unfit to uphold the constitutional obligations of the presidency.
The Constitutional Court annulled last year’s election two days before the Dec. 8 runoff, after allegations emerged that Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote far-right Călin Georgescu, who ran as an independent.
Moscow has denied meddling in the election.
The court’s unprecedented decision last year plunged the European Union and NATO member country into a protracted political crisis and has drawn criticism from US Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk and Moscow.
Like other countries in Europe, the far-right vote has gained momentum in Romania in recent years.
In 2020, Simion’s AUR party — which proclaims to stand for “family, nation, faith, and freedom” — doubled its support in a parliamentary election on Dec. 1 with 18.2%, up from 9% four years earlier.
The first round of the presidential rerun is scheduled for May 4.
If no candidate wins more than 50% of the ballots, a runoff will he held May 18.
The deadline for presidential candidacy bids closes at midnight on Saturday.
Factoring in potential candidacy rejections and subsequent appeals, the final list of confirmed candidates will be known on March 19.
AP Production by Dumitrache Nicolae
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