Călin Georgescu, a Russia-friendly populist, won first round of election before result was annulled

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A top Romanian court has rejected an appeal by far-right politician Călin Georgescu to lift a ban on his candidacy in a rerun of the presidential election, sparking anger among his supporters.

Georgescu, a Moscow-friendly populist, surged from almost nowhere to win the first round of the election last year, but the result was annulled by Romania’s top court because of suspected Russian interference.