The independent candidate Călin Georgescu leads the first round of the presidential elections in Romania. Georgescu is reserved about Romania's accession to NATO and cautiously insisted on the normalization of relations with Russia, writes the Russian news agency TASS, reports Mediafax. Also, other newspapers, websites or state-funded television stations write about Georgescu's victory, including Russia Today.
The independent candidate Călin Georgescu is leading in the first round of Sunday's presidential elections in Romania, according to the real-time results published on the website of the Permanent Electoral Authority, cited by TASS.
With over 90% of the ballots counted nationally, Georgescu is in the lead with 22.04% of the votes. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, from the Social Democratic Party, with 21.19%, and the leader of the center-right opposition, Elena Lasconi, with 16.55%, are in second and third places, respectively.
Georgescu is reserved about Romania's accession to NATO and cautiously insisted on the normalization of relations with Russia.
Since a presidential candidate had to get at least 50% of the vote plus 1 of the total votes to be elected in the first round, the country will hold a runoff on December 8.
What other newspapers or press agencies write
Also, Ria Novosti wrote about Georgescu that “he is a candidate aligned with Russia”,
What Kommersant newspaper wrote
“Mr. Georgescu campaigned on TikTok and pleaded for traditional values, but he also spoke positively about the Romanian soldiers who fought on the side of Nazi Germany in World War II. Also, Călin Georgescu believes that the country's membership in NATO does not guarantee its security”, he wrote Kommersant,
Russia Today (RT)
The Russia Today news station – close to the Kremlin – wrote a fixed article about Georgescu on its front page, which shows the importance of the topic.
“The nationalist candidate gets a shocking result in the elections in Romania”, is the headline in RT.
“The Romanian nationalist Călin Georgescu surprised observers by the fact that he probably reached the first round of the presidential elections in the country, according to the preliminary results.
With more than 80% of the ballots counted, in the early hours of Monday, Georgescu, who gained ground for his anti-Ukraine war stance, holds 22.1% of the votes, narrowly ahead of incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, which follows with just over 22%.
Georgescu, an ultra-religious and nationalist figure, campaigned to reduce Romania's dependence on imports and increase domestic food and energy production. He has been a vocal critic of Bucharest's role in the Ukraine conflict, arguing that NATO and the EU do not represent Romania's interests and suggesting that the war is being manipulated by American defense companies.
The shock result overturned expectations as Elena Lasconi – billed as a reformer – was initially expected to make it to the second round but is now trailing by 15.3%. Far-right candidate George Simion, also considered a strong contender, lags behind at 14.8%.
The final makeup of the second round is still uncertain as additional ballots are counted.
Georgescu's views struck a chord with a significant portion of the electorate, but also drew strong criticism, particularly for his past support for the 20th-century fascist Legionary Movement.
A relative political outsider, he has used social media platforms like TikTok to mobilize voters, tapping into discontent with the political establishment. He has gathered a considerable number of followers, especially among those disillusioned with the foreign policy of the current government,” writes RT.
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