More than 10,000 people gathered on Saturday to express their support for the European Union, amid political disputes over whether Romania should move closer to Russia.
Romania will stage a rerun of the presidential election on May 4 after the Constitutional Court canceled the initial ballot in December following accusations of Russian meddling in favor of pro-Russian nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu.
The annulment of the ballot has placed the EU and NATO member at odds with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and Russia.
Romania’s top court barred Georgescu from taking part in the rerun.
On Saturday, pro-European Romanians took to the streets of the capital waving blue EU and Romanian flags. Some shouted anti-Russian slogans and displayed banners saying “Unity and respect – Europe gives us rights”, or “Free your mind – No to Russian wisdom”.
“This is not a protest, but a peaceful manifestation of solidarity for European values. In an increasingly tense political context, a wave of sovereignty and ultranationalism threatens our unity,” organizers said.
They called for solidarity: “It is time to make ourselves heard and to show that Romania is and will remain part of the European family. The values of democracy and freedom, belonging to the European Union, the rejection of extremist discourse”.
The “Manifesto for Europe” – a document supported by more than 40 civil society organizations from Romania and abroad was due to be read out during the rally.
On Saturday, the Central Electoral Bureau approved four candidates for the presidential election and rejected anti-European nationalist Diana Sosoaca ahead of the midnight deadline.
In a sign of the tensions, Romanian audiovisual authorities asked TikTok to remove materials that incite violence election members.
Centrist and independent candidates are set to compete in the race, along with the hard right, which has scrambled to replace Georgescu.
Calin Georgescu is out. Far-right populist banned from running for president in Romania
