Romanian election disruptor Călin Georgescu announced late Monday that he was stepping away from politics.

“The elections for the position of president of Romania in 2025 have ended. Along with them, I have chosen to end my active involvement in the political process, considering that this phase of the sovereignist movement has ended,” Georgescu said in a video.

Georgescu, who won the first round of the Romanian presidential election in November 2024 before it was annulled, said he wanted to dedicate more time to his family. “It is not a resignation, but a responsible choice,” he added.

In the first round of the 2024 election, Georgescu surged from obscurity to snatch 22.9 percent of the vote. However, Romania’s Constitutional Court canceled the election, citing credible evidence of foreign interference in his favor.

Georgescu, an ultranationalist, anti-EU and anti-NATO candidate, was reportedly boosted by Russian interference and a hybrid influence campaign on TikTok.

He was barred from running again in the rescheduled May 2025 election, and faces criminal charges related to the suspected promotion of fascist ideologies.

The election annulment and Georgescu’s subsequent ban from taking part in the rescheduled election stirred up right-wing outrage around the world, including from senior figures in Washington such as billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance.

Expressing gratitude to his supporters, Georgescu emphasized he does not plan to join any political party or movement. “However, if I see that the rights of those who have chosen differently are violated, I will get involved again with a clear voice to defend the principles of democracy and freedom,” he said.

In the May 2025 do-over election, moderate candidate Nicuşor Dan defeated Georgescu’s hard-right ally George Simion, winning with over 53 percent of the vote.