Calin Georgescu, the far-right frontrunner in Romania’s presidential vote, has been barred from running in May’s election, in an explosive decision that sparked violence on the streets of Bucharest and came despite pressure from Washington to “listen” to voters’ demands.

A top Romanian court has rejected an appeal by far-right politician Calin Georgescu to lift a ban on his candidacy in the presidential rerun.

Romanian authorities have barred far-right pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu from taking part in May's rerun of a cancel led presidential election, prompting him on Monday to say he would challenge the decision at the Constitutional Court.

The 62-year-old Georgescu will lodge his appeal to Romania’s Constitutional Court in the capital Bucharest, a day after the Central Election Bureau rejected his candidacy, accordingly to close political ally George Simion. The court will have 48 hours to make a decision.

Romanian far-right politician Calin Georgescu on Tuesday stopped short of endorsing any other potential candidate after being definitively barred from standing in May's presidential election rerun, adding to uncertainty over who would replace him.

Romania's top court upheld a decision to ban far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from standing in a presidential election rerun in May, it said on Tuesday, leaving his allies with four days to find a replacement.

The Romanian constitutional court on Tuesday upheld a ban preventing the far-right candidate Călin Georgescu from participating in the country’s presidential election. The ruling, which is final, backed a decision by Romania’s electoral authority on Sunday to throw out Georgescu’s bid to run in May’s vote after he allegedly breached election rules.