In the presidential elections in Romania, which took place on November 24, the right-wing politician Călin Georgescu is leading. According to the country's Central Election Commission, after processing 99.87% of the votes, he is gaining 22.9% of the votes.
The second place with a result of 19.1% is held by the current Prime Minister, leader of the Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu. The third result was shown by Elena Lasconi from the liberal party “Union to Save Romania”, in fourth place is the far-right candidate, leader of the “Alliance for the Union of Romanians” (AUR) George Simion (13.87%). Voter turnout in these elections was 52%.
Georgescu, who was previously part of the far-right “Alliance for the Union of Romanians”, whose goal is the unification of Romania and Moldova, ran as an independent candidate. He was a critic of NATO and military aid to Ukraine. He called his result in the first round a “true victory for Romania” and a “stunning awakening of consciousness”.
In the program of the 62-year-old candidate, which experts consider populist, great attention is paid to supporting Romanian farmers, reducing dependence on imports, and increasing the production of energy and food. Georgescu conducted his campaign on TikTok, where he posted videos from church and judo classes, gathering hundreds of thousands of views.
The favorite of the elections was considered to be the current Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, running from the Social Democratic Party. Polls gave him a victory in the first round. Now Ciolacu is fighting for a place in the second round with the head of the “Union to Save Romania” Elena Lasconi, who advocates for increased defense spending and support for Ukraine.
Political commentator Radu Magdin said that the difference between Ciolacu's clear popularity and Sunday's result is unprecedented since Romania got rid of communism in 1989. “Never in 34 years of democracy have we seen such a surge compared to the polls,” quotes Magdin Reuters.
The President of Romania has the ability to control defense spending — this is likely to be a complex issue, as Bucharest is under pressure to meet NATO spending targets during Donald Trump's second term as US President, while also trying to reduce a large budget deficit.
Photo: AP