A Romanian far-right candidate who last year won a presidential election that was subsequently cancelled over alleged Russian interference was formally charged on Tuesday with trying to stage a coup.

Prosecutors in Bucharest accused Călin Georgescu and 21 other suspects of plotting to undermine the democratic order after the constitutional court invalidated his victory in December.

If found guilty, he faces a prison sentence of up to 25 years.

After the election was cancelled, prosecutors accused Georgescu of having masterminded a plot to overthrow the government with the help of a paramilitary group led by Horaţiu Potra, who was briefly detained last year but has since fled the country.

Georgescu met Potra at a horse farm on the outskirts of Bucharest to plan how to use violence at a pro-Georgescu protest scheduled to take place in the capital a few days later "to overthrow the democratic order", an indictment alleged.

Romania's prosecutor-general, Alex Florența, confirmed in a press conference that Georgescu had been charged.

Potra was arrested on his way to the Romanian capital late last year leading a convoy of armed men. He has since fled the country and is subject to an international arrest warrant.

He is now in contact "with Russian authorities to obtain asylum" in the country, said Florența. Potra has also been charged as a co-conspirator in the Georgescu case.

Florența also alleged that Georgescu had "certainly" benefited from a Russian influence campaign in the run-up to the election, though this did not form part of the charges.

Prosecutors identified four companies with "proven links to the Russian Federation" that spread disinformation and artificial intelligence-generated content in Romania, Florența said, and established that some of the companies' investors and administrators were based in Russia.

TikTok carried out an analysis at the Romanian prosecutor's behest and identified "two co-ordinated networks that were promoting Georgescu" -- including the so-called Pravda network, meaning "Truth" in Russian, that supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Georgescu became a cause célèbre for Europe's populist far right and President Donald Trump's Maga movement, with vice-president JD Vance accusing the Romanian government of cancelling the vote "based on flimsy suspicions" of Russian meddling.

Georgescu, who has claimed he was the "legitimate president-elect", was barred from running in the election rerun in May. He has denied any links to Moscow.

President Nicușor Dan, the eventual winner of the rerun vote, on Tuesday said the chief prosecutor's analysis of Russia's hybrid attacks on Romania was "proof" that Moscow had tried to "substantially influence" the 2024 election.

Georgescu did not immediately comment on the charges. He has previously denied the allegations.

Romania charges Russia-linked far-right candidate with plotting 'coup'