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The BEC rejected his candidacy on Sunday after a 10-4 vote, saying it did not "meet the conditions of legality", as Georgescu "violated the very obligation to defend democracy".

Clashes broke out between police and Georgescu supporters who had gathered in their thousands outside the offices of the BEC.

In his appeal, Georgescu said that the "BEC exceeded its legal powers".

Bec Strating, an international relations professor at La Trobe University in Australia, said Japan's reported transit is "part of a broader pattern of greater naval presence by countries in and beyond Asia that are concerned about China's maritime assertions".

They were last seen boarding a Northern line train at Tooting Bec station at 22:35 BST on Friday and the public has been warned not to approach them.