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Romanian court bars USR leader Dominic Fritz from office until 2030: he vows ECHR appeal
Bucharest mayor Ciprian Ciucu charged with bribery, placed under judicial control
The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Romania on Thursday upheld a definitive ban on Dominic Fritz’s eligibility to run for office until 2030, prompting the USR leader to announce an immediate appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. The Bucharest court confirmed on 18 June 2026 that Fritz, mayor of Timișoara and president of the USR party, remains in a conflict of interest and cannot contest elections, a decision the party called politically motivated.
The ruling follows a February 2026 decision by the Timișoara Court of Appeal that Fritz had breached integrity rules by failing to declare potential conflicts in contracts awarded by the city. The High Court’s final judgment, published on Thursday, leaves Fritz barred from any elected position until at least 2030, a timeline he now intends to challenge before the Strasbourg-based court. “We will take this case to the European Court of Human Rights,” a USR spokesperson said in a statement. “The decision is not final until Strasbourg rules.”
The controversy has intensified political tensions in Romania, where critics accuse the judiciary of overreach. Journalist Emilia Șercan wrote on Thursday that the High Court’s public announcement on Facebook amounted to “proof, if anyone still needed it, that the ICCJ has become a political actor.” The court defended its communication as routine, but the timing—coming just days after a separate ruling against the far-right magazine *Frontières* in France—has fueled accusations of judicial activism.
In a parallel development, the same court confirmed on Thursday that Ciprian Ciucu, a former finance minister, has been placed under judicial control by the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) in a separate case. The move follows a ruling by the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest, which rejected Fritz’s appeal against the integrity agency’s findings.
Fritz’s legal team has vowed to exhaust all avenues, including the ECHR, arguing that the ban violates his political rights. The case has drawn international attention, with EU lawmakers increasingly scrutinising judicial decisions in Romania amid concerns over democratic backsliding. The USR has called the ruling a “dangerous precedent” that could deter future candidates from public office.
The High Court’s decision is final and cannot be appealed domestically. Fritz’s appeal to the ECHR will now proceed, with a decision expected within months. Until then, Romania’s third-largest city remains without a mayor who can stand for re-election, a political vacuum that risks deepening public distrust in institutions.
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