Pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu created a surprise by arriving, Sunday, November 24, at the head of the first round of the Romanian presidential election, ahead of pro-European Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, reports The World.
While his social-democratic opponent was well ahead in the exit polls, Calin Georgescu, 62, managed to make a comeback in the evening. After the counting of 98.66% of the ballots, Calin Georgescu received 22.59% of the votes, compared to 19.55% for Marcel Ciolacu. Elena Lasconi, center-right mayor of a small town, comes in third place with 18.84%. For his part, George Simion, of the AUR party (Alliance for the Unity of Romanians), given favorite within the nationalist camp before the election, fell to fourth place with 13.94%. The latter still congratulated his opponent, rejoicing that a “sovereignist” finds himself in the second round, which is scheduled for December 8, with legislative elections which should be held between the two rounds, on December 1.
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“The people…cried for peace”
Calin Georgescu's victory is an upheaval for this country which had until then protected nationalist positions. The candidate, who ran as an independent, relied in particular on a TikTok campaign that went viral, focused on the need to stop aid to Ukraine. An apparently profitable strategy, which allowed him to impose his speech “ anti-European and nationalist “. When his victory was announced, he said that “ the Romanian people cried out for peace. And he shouted very loudly, extremely loudly ».
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Indeed, Klaus Iohannis, the current president of Romania, in power for ten years, is a fervent supporter of kyiv. Romania, which shares a 650 km border with Ukraine, plays a strategic role, both for NATO, of which it houses more than 5,000 soldiers, and for the transit of Ukrainian cereals. The Romanians have therefore set their sights on a candidate who goes against the grain.
According to the American media Bloombergthis is “ one of the biggest upheavals in the country since the end of communism”, with the victory of a “nationalist expressing admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin…”. If he is elected, Calin Georgescu « also vowed to end what he calls subservience to the European Union and NATO, particularly regarding support for Ukraine », indicated the BBC.
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It should be noted that the President of the Romanian Republic occupies an essentially ceremonial function but exercises an important moral magisterium.
