“The candidate who praises Putin leads in Romania” / “Shocking result” / “He says that the war in Ukraine is maintained by American interests” / “It comes from nowhere”

The first reactions in the international press, after the pro-Russian legionnaire Călin Georgescu entered the second round of the presidential elections from the first position, did not take long to appear:

“Shocking result”, notes Reuters, which also talks about how Romania's firm pro-Ukraine position is threatened and also mentions Georgescu's apology to legionnaires or war criminals like Ion Antonescu. “It comes out of nowhere”, notes Politico, while France24 notes how “the pro-Russian candidate is imposing himself” in the presidential election in Romania.

Bloomberg talks about the “candidate who praises Putin” and who leads in Romanians' preferences after “overturning the presidential elections”, and Deutsche Welle talks about the “far-right critic of NATO” who leads in the first round of the presidential elections in Romania.

Reuters:

• “Călin Georgescu, a right-wing Romanian critic of NATO, was tied with leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu after the first round of Sunday's presidential election, partial counts showed, a shocking result that threatens Romania's firm pro-Ukraine position”;
• “According to the opinion polls, Georgescu, an independent, was rated with a single digit before the first round of voting on Sunday”;
• “Georgescu, aged 62, was a member of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), a far-right opposition party, which presented him as their choice for the position of prime minister. He left AUR in 2022 after senior party members said his pro-Russian and anti-NATO stance damaged the party's image”;
• In a 2021 interview, he called NATO's ballistic missile defense shield in the Romanian city of Deveselu a “disgrace to diplomacy” and said the alliance would not protect any of its members if they were attacked by Russia”;
• “He also stated that Ion Antonescu, the de facto leader of Romania in World War II, who was sentenced to death for his role in the Holocaust in Romania, and Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, the leader of the Iron Guard before the of the Second World War – one of the most violent anti-Semitic movements in Europe – are national heroes”;
• “In a separate interview, he stated that Romania was not ready to handle anything from a diplomatic and strategic point of view and that its best chance was “Russian wisdom”. However, he refused to say explicitly whether he supports Russia.”

Politico:

• “Surprise in the Romanian elections: An unexpected far-right candidate prevails in the presidential election”;
• “Ultranationalist Călin Georgescu comes from nowhere and overtakes center-left Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and liberal Elena Lasconi in the first round”.
• “Călin Georgescu, extremely religious and nationalist, campaigned for reducing Romania's dependence on imports, supporting farmers and increasing domestic food and energy production”.
• “The Romanian ultra-nationalist Călin Georgescu is currently on his way to the final round of the presidential elections, according to Sunday's provisional results, with over 90% of polling stations reported”.
• “According to the partial results, Georgescu leads with 22.2 percent, followed by center-left Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, with 20.2 percent. Reformist candidate Elena Lasconi has 18 percent, while another hard-right candidate, George Simion, is behind on 14.1 percent, with 96 percent of polling stations.”
• “Georgescu, extremely religious and nationalist, campaigned for reducing Romania's dependence on imports, supporting farmers and increasing domestic food and energy production”.
• “He also claimed that the EU and NATO do not properly represent Romania's interests and stated that Russia's war in Ukraine, a neighbor of Romania, is being manipulated by American military companies.”
• “In 2022, he claimed that the American anti-missile shield placed in the village of Deveselu in southern Romania is part of a policy of confrontation and not a peaceful measure. Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed the same thing.”
• “He stated at the time that he has no support from Russia, but he feels close to its culture. He described Putin as “a man who loves his country”.
• “Georgescu also said that he admires Hungary because it knows how to negotiate at the international level.”
• “Georgescu has drawn fierce criticism for his previous comments in support of the fascist Legionary Movement in 20th century Romania, but has rejected accusations that he is anti-Semitic.”

France24:

• “The pro-Russian candidate prevails in the presidential election in Romania Europe”;
• A far-right populist took the lead in Romania's presidential election on Sunday, election data showed, and is likely to face leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff two weeks from now, a result that has shaken the country's political landscape “;
• Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, told The Associated Press that Georgescu's unexpected performance in the polls appears to be a “big protest or revolt against the establishment.”
• “Mainstream political parties have lost touch with ordinary Romanians,” he said. “You don't have strong candidates or strong leaders … there are weak candidates, weak leaders, and the parties in general are quite disconnected.”

Bloomberg:

• “A candidate who praises Putin wins the presidential elections in Romania”
• “The nationalist candidate called for an end to the war in Ukraine”
• “Romania's presidential election was overturned by a nationalist who expressed his admiration for Russia's Vladimir Putin, setting up a likely run-off with an establishment candidate in one of the biggest upheavals in the country since the end of communism.”

German wave:

• “Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, from the Social Democratic Party, is tied with a pro-Russian candidate in the first round of the presidential elections, according to the first vote counts”.
• “Georgescu and Simion – the two far-right candidates – were at 16% and 15% of the votes”.
• “The acting Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, from the Social Democratic Party (PSD), was tied with the far-right critic of NATO, Călin Georgescu, with 90% of the votes counted, the two fighting for the first place in the presidential elections from the country on Sunday”.

Watch G4Media's video productions below: