A Romanian thunderbolt which already sounds like a jubilant victory for the Kremlin. A great admirer of Vladimir Putin, the far-right candidate Calin Georgescu defied all the polls this Sunday, November 24, 2024. This 62-year-old conspiracy theorist, engineer in pedology – the science of soils – was down to earth, with 8 % of voting intentions in the first round of the presidential election. He finally prances in the lead, with 22.94%. Behind him: the other surprise, coming from the center right, with the journalist Elena Lasconi (19.18%), carried by the voices of a very large diaspora. Romania has nearly 5 million expatriates for 19 million inhabitants.
The end of an era
The slap is scathing for the pro-European social-democrat Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu. Expected to be far ahead, he is eliminated, in third position (19.15%), according to the Permanent Electoral Authority. He resigned on Monday. The fall of the left is dizzying: nine points less than in 2020. But it is worse for the National Liberal Party of outgoing president Klaus Iohannis: it is down by sixteen points (8.79%).
Also read. PORTRAIT. Who is Călin Georgescu, pro-Russian candidate, leading the presidential election in Romania?
Since the fall of Nicolae Ceaucescu's communist regime in 1989, the left and the liberals have never been ousted in the first round. This illustrates the disillusionment of the population.
In the absence of politicians who behave like leaders [fédérateurs]people are looking for saviors”,
comments sociologist Gelu Duminica in the Romanian daily The truth.
A TikToker savior?
Little known, Calin Georgescu seems to have established himself thanks to… the social network TikTok. His videos have been there loved
3.2 million times in recent days. In particular, he proclaims his fervor for the Orthodox religion, a weighty argument in this country. 81% of Romanians declare themselves Orthodox Christians: the second largest community after that of Moscow.
Georgescu also sprayed the Internet with an anti-system program supposedly wake up a people tired of being humiliated
. His promises of economic improvement have clicked in a Romania struggling with inflation (+ 10% in 2023) and where one in four inhabitants lives below the poverty line of €155 per month, according to the Eurostat agency.
However, the reforms promised by President Iohannis, in power – very limited – since 2014, have remained dead letters… His latest feat of arms: his aborted attempt, in March, to take the head of NATO on the grounds that Romania had to endorse greater responsibility within Euro-Atlantic structures.
Also read. Romania confirms it is training Ukrainian pilots on F-16
With 610 km of common border with Ukraine, Romania is a pillar of European defense. A member of NATO since 2004 and of the European Union since 2007, the country is home to at least four bases of the Atlantic Alliance: nearly a thousand French soldiers are positioned there. It is also on one of them, in Deveselu, that an American anti-missile shield is installed. A ” shame “ for Calin Georgescu who, from 2021, denounced a politics of confrontation
. The training of Ukrainian pilots on American F-16 fighters since September adds to his rage.
He says he believes in Russian wisdom
. Without explaining. But the press agency Ria Novostiat the behest of the Kremlin, has little doubt: Georgescu is a supporter of union with Russia
.
Nothing decided for the second round
It remains to be seen whether the second round of the presidential election, on December 8, will strengthen the darling of the Kremlin. Calin Georgescu should be able to count on the support of his former far-right party, the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR, 13.86%), led by George Simion.
The sultry MEP Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca from SOS Romania joined Georgescu on Monday, November 25. The orthodox fundamentalist had been banned from running for president by the Supreme Court, after anti-Semitic statements. She urges Romanians to unite behind pro-Russian parties from December 1st. Because between the two rounds of the presidential election the legislative elections will take place.
Even more than the rest of Europe, Moldova and Georgia will have their eyes fixed on Bucharest. These two countries, which aspire to join the EU, have seen supporters of Russia heckle their own ballot boxes in recent months. In Georgia, after controversial legislative elections at the end of October, the opposition remains mobilized in the streets to denounce a fraudulent victory by the ruling party, accused of playing into the hands of Moscow.
