An analysis by Factual.ro dismantles several statements launched in the public space by the independent candidate in the second round of the presidential elections, Călin Georgescu.
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Several claims of the candidate Călin Georgescu were dismantled in a Factual.ro analysis, which also presents evidence.
Romania’s withdrawal from NATO and the EU
“I was accused of wanting to remove Romania from NATO and the European Union. False. I never said that”Georgescu claimed on November 26, 2024 during a discussion with the press.
In reality, during a show on national television on June 21, Călin Georgescu declared that NATO is the weakest alliance on the planet. Asked if he would campaign for Romania’s departure from NATO, he answered: “If things continue like this, obviously we’re not interested. Why stay in a club that doesn’t give security to your country?”
Invited to a podcast on the YouTube channel HappyFishTV, Călin Georgescu answered negatively to the moderator’s question whether a possible solution to the economic downturn would be to leave the EU, but he pointed to a report that mentioned that since the European countries are in the European Union, the economy decreased.
In another podcast, Călin Georgescu declared that “we must convey that it is an honor for us that we did not enter Schengen. It’s good that I didn’t enter Schengen”.
The publication’s verdict is that in this case Călin Georgescu gave a truncated answer, but most of his statements are false:
What he did for Romania
“I coordinated and realized in 2008 the only national development strategy of Romania in the last 50 years”, he also supported the independent candidate, although the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of Romania – Horizons 2013-2020-2030 was published in the Official Gazette on December 8, 2008 and shows the composition of the group that contributed.
About COVID
The candidate for the presidential elections stated that there is no such thing as the Covid virus, because “no one has ever seen him. The only science that exists in this world is Jesus Christ. The one and only”although images of the virus have been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States.
“Romanians were the least vaccinated in Europe. (…) It is a reason for great pride” declared Georgescu. Data from the World Health Organization show in a report from December 31, 2023, that the percentage of the population in Romania that completed the primary vaccination scheme against COVID-19 was higher than in Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova or Ukraine.
About cancer and disease
“The mortality rate is about 97% in the case of cancer patients in the world, through the treatment used by chemotherapy. Sir, what is chemotherapy? Why don’t you ask yourself a simple question? Well, it’s an acid. And if I take the blood pH, 7.3 or 7.4, anything that’s alkaline up is life. All acid means is death. Well, how can I think that I’m putting acid in myself and I’m getting better?”, Calin Gorgescu also said.
The candidate questions both the death rate and the treatment. The publication showed that the most recent global cancer data is from 2022, and the total number of cases was 19.9 million, while the number of deaths reached 9.7 million.
In 2020 there were 19.3 million cases and 10 million deaths, corresponding to a mortality rate of 51.81%, and 2018 data a mortality rate of 53.04%.
Also, the contribution of treatment is demonstrated by published reports in the medical field, which show an increase in the chances of survival in countries with high incomes and access to treatment. In the treatment of cancer, it contributes to the survival of more than 90% of breast or colorectal cancer cases, according to the “WHO Report on Cancer”.
“We only need medicine for emergencies. Otherwise it is no disease. And there shouldn’t be any, if we’re free inside, we find ourselves and we feed on what we need.” there is another claim dismantled by the publication, which mentions the existence of chronic diseases, pointing out that the statement goes against the basic principles of public health.
Food import
“Sbutter over 90% of the food that comes from imports, a country that can feed all of Europe”, Călin Georgescu also claimed. The publication however showed that total domestic production is 32.17 million tonnes of food, while exports are 14.04 million tonnes and imports 9.31 million tonnes.
About children, education and allowances
“There are 3,000 children who disappear without a trace every year,” there is another claim launched by the independent candidate.
According to Save the Children, the total number of missing children (and still not found) was 424 in 2014. In 2015, the Ministry of Internal Affairs showed that, at that time, 311 minors (registered since 1995) were listed as missing in the records of the Romanian Police.
“Isn’t Eminescu being taught in school today?“, says Călin Georgescu, although the official documents of the Ministry of Education show that Mihai Eminescu is included in the curriculum for the Baccalaureate exam including for 2025.
Călin Georgescu also stated that an allowance for a child in Ukraine costs “3700 lei”. In reality, the allowance in Romania is 292 lei and Ukrainian children can benefit from it, if their parents have residence in Romania, in the same amount as Romanian children.
“If the mother-to-be is manipulated in such a way that you can only give birth by caesarean section, as more than 90% give birth today in Romania, it is a tragedy. Do you know why? Because the divine thread breaks. Moreover, you consider and accept that more than 90% are sick”, also shows an affirmation of the candidate Călin Georgescu. In reality, according to a study carried out in 2024 by the Association of Independent Midwives, cesarean births exceed natural births, but not at the level presented by Călin Georgescu.
The victims of communism
“The victims as they were in the communist prisons – they were not victims, you know, as they say. This is a blatant lieGeorgescu also declared.
According to the Institute for the Investigation of the Crimes of Communism in Romania, during the communist regime, approximately 3 million Romanians were politically persecuted, of which over 800,000 died in detention or as a result of inhumane treatment. The communist regime replicated the Soviet model of the Gulag, establishing 44 prisons and 72 forced labor camps in which political opponents, intellectuals, clerics and other categories considered “dangerous” to the regime were imprisoned.
Supporting conspiracy theories
Călin Georgescu supports several conspiracy theories in his speech, such as the “great reset” or that man would not have been able to reach the moon.
“That was a manipulation of the man walking on the moon,” Călin Georgescu also stated, although several astronauts have reached the moon, and the evidence is accessible to everyone.
The publication also shows that Georgescu took the slogan of the theory out of context and paraphrased it wrongly. “Nu will win but you will be happy”, said Calin Georgescu. The words that Călin Georgescu wanted to refer to are “you will own nothing and be happy.”
