As Romanians prepare to head to the polls on May 4 and 18, they do so under the shadow of a deep betrayal of democracy. Călin Georgescu, the candidate who won the first round of last year’s presidential elections, has been banned from running, under the flimsy and increasingly weaponised accusation of “Russian interference”.

Whatever one may think of Georgescu’s political positions, banning a candidate after an electoral victory strikes at the heart of democracy itself. It is the textbook definition of lawfare – using judicial and administrative measures to sideline political opponents that the establishment fears they cannot defeat at the ballot box.

The European Union and its mouthpieces frequently lecture others about “democratic values” and “the rule of law”. Yet, when a candidate emerges who dares to challenge NATO’s war agenda or questions the EU’s political orthodoxy, those very principles are thrown out the window.

Georgescu’s vocal opposition to the continuation of the Ukraine war – and by extension, to NATO’s aggressive expansion – clearly made him a threat, especially as NATO builds its largest military base in Europe on Romanian soil. His silencing is no coincidence; it is a political manoeuvre.

As continues to be proven, such acts of repression do not eliminate dissent – they radicalise it. By banning candidates like Georgescu, the establishment is only turbocharging the growth of far-right and anti-democratic forces. When citizens see their votes disregarded and the political process rigged, they will inevitably turn to those who promise to tear the system down – often with far more dangerous agendas.

The Romanian case is not isolated. Across Europe, we are witnessing a pattern, like with the recent conviction of Marine Le Pen, in a textbook case of ‘lawfare‘: when establishment-backed candidates falter, institutions are bent, laws are twisted, and elections are manipulated to preserve a decaying order.

If the EU wants to speak credibly about democracy, it must first confront the anti-democratic rot within its own ranks – starting with Romania’s grotesque exclusion of Georgescu from the upcoming election.

Democracy cannot be selectively applied. It must be defended for all, or it collapses for everyone.

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