BUCHAREST—On a recent day, nationalist politician Călin Georgescu made his way through a crush of people to enter a district court in Romania’s faded belle epoque capital to argue that he should be free to run in coming presidential elections.

The country’s electoral commission ruled on Sunday that Calin Georgescu, an outspoken critic of Ukraine and NATO, could not compete in the do-over election.

Russian presidential contender Calin Georgescu will challenge a decision to bar him from taking part in a rerun of the election in May, one of his advisers told Reuters on Monday.Georgescu submitted his presidential bid on Friday after allegations of Russian interference in his favour prompted Romania's Constitutional Court to cancel the original election in December.

Diana Sosoaca, who was banned from the presidential election in November that was later annulled, will not be allowed to stand in the re-run.

Romania's top court upholds ban on controversial far-right candidate, intensifying political crisis and sparking debate on democracy.

Romanian far-right presidential contender Calin Georgescu said on Monday he would challenge a decision to bar him from taking part in an election rerun in May, but analysts said his chances of standing were slim amid fears of Russian meddling.

In his appeal to the court, Georgescu — whose original candidacy was allegedly boosted by a Russia-backed TikTok influence operation — insisted that his expulsion from the election do-over could permanently suppress his constitutional right to stand for election.

Romania’s central election authority on Sunday barred far-right pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu from running in May’s presidential election re-run.

A top Romanian court has rejected an appeal by far-right politician Calin Georgescu to lift a ban on his candidacy in the presidential rerun

Romania’s largest far-right party is scrambling to find a candidate after the independent front-runner it supported was barred from May’s presidential election.