Populist Romanian politician Calin Georgescu is questioned by prosecutors

A far-right populist who won the first round in Romania’s canceled presidential race last year was stopped in traffic by police on Wednesday and taken in for questioning by prosecutors

A far-right populist who won the first round in Romania’s canceled presidential race last year was stopped in traffic by police on Wednesday and taken in for questioning by prosecutors, his communication team said.

“Calin Georgescu was about to submit his new candidacy for the Presidency,” his team said in a post on Facebook. “He was taken in for questioning at the General Prosecutor’s Office.”

It isn’t yet clear why prosecutors have taken the 62-year-old Georgescu in for questioning, or whether he will be charged with anything. No details were immediately available.

The Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential election just two days before a Dec. 8 runoff.

Georgescu — who was polling in single digits and declared zero campaign spending — surprised many when he won the first round on Nov. 24, after which allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged.