Romania hasfallen to the status of a 'hybrid regime,' the only one in the European Union, and we have EU politicians and corrupt bureaucrats to thank for it.
On March 11th, the Romanian Constitutional Courtbanned the most popular candidate from running in the May presidential election. The Court unanimously rejected Călin Georgescu’s appeal after the Central Electoral Bureauinvalidated his candidacy late last week.
This scheme to block Georgescu’s pro-peace, EU-skeptic run didn’t simply appear overnight; it was a calculated and precise plan to deplatform the most popular candidate—who garnered almost 40 percent of the vote according to a FebruaryAtlasIntel poll—from running for president. Romania’s Constitutional Courtannulled the December 2024 election results after Georgescuplainly won the first round with almost 23 percent of the vote. In what appears to bean almost identical strategy to how the Democrats attemptedto oust Donald Trump, the Court alleged widespread Russian interference which compromised the election results, and then subsequently canceled the second round of voting.
Romania is not known for its political or legal transparency.With a Transparency.org rating of46 out of 100,Romana is considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. It should come as no surprise that, by merelysuspectingRussian interference and fraud, the country’s top court was able to outright cancel the presidential elections,andwith it, the people’s voice.
Since December, Romania has been hard at work to silence Georgescu. The country’s government has been activelyraiding and harassing his supportersand is nowthreatening to arrest people for “spreading fake news and inciting violence and supporting actions against the constitutional order,” if they dare share videos of theongoing protests and instances of police brutality against Romanian demonstrators.
"We are faced with a communist regime as well…," Călin Georgescu toldFox News, “[t]hey are trying to destroy democracy. They could not accept to lose the power and access to the money."
Prosecutors even launched acriminal investigation into Georgescu, citing various potential criminal violations like “hate speech,” anti-constitutional acts, and misreporting finances.Despitelacking any evidence tying Georgescu himself to these allegations, the 62-year-old politician was puton judicial control,is banned from leaving the country, andis forbidden from creating any additional social media accounts.
In an X post, Georgescucalled out the European Union’s election interference: “[T]he masters have decided: no equality, no freedom, no fraternity for Romanians. Long live France and Brussels, Long live their colony called Romania!”
The EU Is No Friend Of Liberty
Leaders in the European Union have been cheering on the blatant destruction of Romania’s democratic process. An Austrian MP openly celebrated Georgescu’s police detainment andis confident that “other countries will follow” in persecuting public figures who speak out against the EU’sOrwellian laws and regulations. Meanwhile, Romanian authorities and the European Commission have been meeting with NGOs to restrict and censor “illegal” content on online platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTokahead of Romania’s re-run election in May.
Elon Muskcriticized these disinformation roundtables, saying: "NGOs…will work with authorities and social media platforms to flag and remove content they label as 'disinformation.’”
Unfortunately, this sort of authoritarian behavior is now the norm throughout Europe. European countriesactively prosecute their citizens for “offensive” online content—which includes reposting or even liking joke posts deemed “problematic” or “toxic.”
In England, people are barred fromsilently praying in certain public spaces, The Metropolitan Police are actively searching for hateful online speech outside of the UK as well. Police Commissioner Mark Rowley issued thisforeboding threat: “We will throw the full force of the law at people, and whether you’re in this country committing crimes on the streets orcommitting crimes from further afield online, we will come after you.” If only the UK police put as much effort into protecting the victims of England’s notoriousgrooming gangs as they do policing speech.
Similarly inGermany, the police are legally allowed to show up to your home unannounced, confiscate all your electronics, and fine or arrest you for criticizing politicians on platforms like X or Facebook.
The hypocrisy of European “democracy” is on full display. While the European Commission labels Romania’s decision to cancel its presidential election as “protecting democracy,” it eagerly invites Syria’s new Islamic government to itsdonor conference in Brussels; the same Syrian government that has been torturing andexecuting hundreds of Christian and Alawite minorities in thepast few days. Instead of condemning the new government for this ongoing genocide, the EUquickly blamed “pro-Assad elements,” despite all evidence pointing to the contrary.
Romania is the canary in the coal mine for the future of European democracy. It is clearer now than ever before that if you speak out against the machine,the machine will make an example of you. Under the guise of “protecting democracy,” EU leaders have silenced political opposition, threatened arrest, and fined average citizens for theirown personal speech. It appears Brussels has successfully achieved its own Iron Curtain in 2025.
Will Europeans wake up, or will they continue to kneel under the boot of authoritarianism? They need to decide quickly before it’s too late.
Connor Vasile is a political commentator and analyst. He is the author of "The State Knows Best" and "I'm Joe Biden: In His Own Words." You can find him on X @connor_vasile.