Supporters of Romanian far-right politician Calin Georgescu squared off against police on Sunday (March 9) outside the central election authority, where a structure was pushed over and set alight. Trump says Russia easier to deal with than Ukraine in push for peace

"The Romanian state seems to have woken up," said Carmen Dumitrescu in Republica (Bucharest). Last week, the prosecutor general charged the ultranationalist Calin Georgescu on six counts, including lying about his campaign finances and having links to a fascist group.

Romania has banned the far-right frontrunner in the country’s presidential vote from taking part in the election, in a move that comes despite warnings from the US to respect voters’ wishes. The country’s electoral bureau said on Sunday it was invalidating Călin Georgescu’s candidacy after receiving objections that he had violated laws against extremism.

Romania's electoral bureau on Sunday rejected far-right hopeful Calin Georgescu's candidacy for the re-run of last year's annulled presidential election, sparking outrage among his supporters in Bucharest.