Svetoslav Ivanov, 120 minutes, bTV, March 2, 2025
Svetoslav Ivanov: Ladies and Gentlemen, a look at Romania, which in recent weeks has been the subject of particular interest from the new American administration. First, Vice President Vance publicly supported the populist candidate Călin Georgescu. Then, Ilon Musk weighed in, sharing the candidate’s publications, suggesting all sorts of things, including dividing Ukraine’s territory with Putin.
Why is Georgescu so important to the United States? And what signal are these events sending to the world?
We bring in journalist Vladimir Mitev, who has been following events in Romania for years. He is the author of the Bridge of Friendship blog. Hello, Mr. Mitev!
Good afternoon.
What was Georgescu accused of this week?
Georgescu has been charged with quite serious offenses, one of which is incitement to change the constitutional order, but also with fraud in filing statements, for example, in connection with the elections. Recall that he declared a budget of zero lei for the campaign for the annulled December 2024 elections. It is hard to believe that one can run an election campaign with a budget of zero lei. He is also accused of founding an organization and, in general, of promoting or legitimizing a certain far-right, anti-Semitic, racist discourse.
Ok. Another person for whom there is an arrest warrant is Horațiu Potra, considered a close associate of Georgescu. He disappeared, as far as we know, just before the arrest warrant was issued. What is known about him? Who is this man?
There is a publication in a leading Romanian media outlet, G4 Media, which claims that Potra is in Dubai at the moment. Horațiu Potra is, perhaps most correctly put, a military mercenary. He himself claims to be a military instructor.
Potra has a career close to military companies, popular in the West and in Russia, generally in the world. According to the Romanian press, he has been a security adviser, for example in some African countries, also to the Emir of Qatar at one time.
What is important is that through these activities, in addition to ensuring a certain security, he is also involved in interests that are related to minerals in Africa. And in Romania itself, he has periodically in recent years tried to develop some kind of political career or gravitate around politics. Let me remind you that he was part of Liviu Dragnea’s party, Dragnea being the leading sovereigntist in Romania during Trump’s first term. And now he is back in the media spotlight as Georgescu’s bodyguard.
Georgescu’s bodyguard. Is there any proven connection to Wagner since he has such a long history in Africa?
There have been publications that he’s been to Moscow, for example, and that his life companion has posted content on social media that appears to be Russophile. Horațiu Potra himself denies having such a relationship with Wagner. But his activity is part of this trend of private military men.
How is it that the Tate brothers, so much talked about in recent years, are two influencers or whatever you want to call them, after being arrested in Romania, they suddenly found themselves a few days ago back in the United States after a call from the Trump administration. So Romania has complied with Washington’s wishes. Is that how we are to understand it?
It seems so. The fact that the Tate brothers have been allowed to leave the country is perceived by many Romanians, at least among those who are easier for me to contact, as a humiliation for the country.
Indeed, Romania has recently been under pressure from the US administration and there are probably many reasons for this. Let me recall that problems have been identified with the December 2024 electoral process. Perhaps the Constitutional Court’s decision to annul them was a form of recognition of the failure of this electoral process.
Since that moment, a weakness has emerged in Romanian society and in the Romanian state, given that there is polarization and given that the government that was previously under the patronage of Klaus Iohannis, this alliance of the two big parties, created a lot of discontent and alienated people who are now protesting both against the Constitutional Court’s intervention in politics and against the elites in the country in general.
I mean, there is a division of the elites in Romania between those who are from an older era, who now seem to be on the offensive and are to some extent relying on Trump, and those who are the standard, pro-European elites.
Good. Thank you for that analysis. It is very important. Again, to say that our guest was Vladimir Mitev, who is the author of the Bridge of Friendship blog. There you can find out, among other things, what the rise of Georgescu is all about. See you again, Mr. Mitev! Thank you!
Photo: (source: bTV)
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