Far‑right surge shakes up Romania's presidential race
The initial round of presidential elections in Romania took place on Sunday. Unexpectedly, the far-right radical Calin Georgescu, who ran as an independent candidate and was "fighting against the system, " secured the highest result. In second place was the poll favourite, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
25 November 2024 07:17
The EU is concerned that the far-right George Simion remains in the "top positions." The media emphasise that he models himself on Kaczyński, Meloni, and Trump.
George Simion, presidential candidate and leader of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), is one of the 14 candidates vying for the country's leadership.
After counting votes from 99.8% of the committees, the ultra-right candidate Calin Georgescu, little known to Romanians, holds the top spot in the first round of the presidential elections. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is in second place, but his lead over Elena Lasconi is slight.
Surprise with the results in the first round
The election results are a surprise to everyone, from politicians and voters to sociologists and the media. Georgescu is a fringe politician with extreme views who lacks party support, having gained popularity mainly through a campaign on TikTok.
The strong showing of another anti-system candidate, George Simion, has raised concerns among Romanian experts and media.
- This indicates that populist and anti-system forces, represented by Simion and Georgescu, hold at least 30% of the votes combined. Additionally, there's the even more radical Diana Sosoaca, who was not permitted to run in the presidential elections by the Constitutional Court - commented Romanian journalists in a conversation with the Polish Press Agency.
A shift to the right for Romania?
Simion promised to adopt a more assertive stance in Brussels and defend Romania's national interests, even if it meant disregarding European Union law. Therefore, if elected president, he will join a growing group of right-wing leaders in the bloc.
The AUR leader stated that his role models are American Donald Trump, Italian Giorgia Meloni, and Polish Jarosław Kaczyński. He also emphasised that he desired peace in Ukraine, similarly to Donald Trump, stating: "We are for peace, and we are hoping that peace will be found through the efforts of President-elect Trump."
The second round of presidential elections in Romania will take place on 8th December.
