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Romanian independent far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu gives a statement outside his voting station after the annulation of the presidential elections, in Mogosoaia, Romania, on Dec. 8, 2024.
Pro-EU Romanians form a unity coalition ahead of election rerun
Leaders of the Social Democratic party and their current coalition partners, the center-right National Liberal party, the opposition centrist Save Romania Union party, and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR, are trying toforge a common election platform to pool their strength against any recurrence of the first result. They may even agree to back a single presidential candidate.
Declassified intelligence found that someone created thousands of social media accounts to promote pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu – who said he had spent no money on his campaign – on TikTok and Telegram. On Monday, Romanian investigators arrested two men for allegedly planning to trigger protests at the court’s annulment of the result.
The Kremlin denies any political interference in Romania, a former Warsaw Pact country that’s now an EU and NATO member.
Romanian independent far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu poses for a portrait in Bucharest Romania, on Dec. 4, 2024.
Romania braces for presidential runoff
Romanians head to the polls Sunday for a presidential runoff that could lead to significant foreign policy changes for the country – and profound implications for the war in Ukraine.
Who’s running? Far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, a critic of both NATO and the EU, faces pro-European centrist Elena Lasconi. Georgescu, 62, is pro-Russia and emerged as a surprise front-runner in the first round of voting on Nov. 24 amid claims that Russia manipulated the election through paid TikTok influencers. Romania’s constitutional courtupheld the first round result this week, butnewly declassified Romanian intelligence documents suggest a certain “state actor” did its best to sway voters in Georgescu’s favor.
What’s at stake? Lasconi, 52, is framing the election as a choice between NATO and Russia. “We must choose between NATO protection and Putin’s war,” she warns. Georgescu declared that if he wins, he will oppose grain exports and military aid to Kyiv.
In Romania, the president has authority in matters ofnational security and foreign policy, and also gets to choose which party forms a government following Romania’s Dec. 1 parliamentary vote, which saw the right make significant gains. Georgescu has said he will pick a premier who shares his “Romania first” vision.
Opinion polls showGeorgescu leading with 60% of decided voters, though 40% of voters remain undecided, and the outcome could hinge on voter turnout.
Supporters of the radical right Alliance for Uniting Romanians wave Romanian flags following the first exit polls, at the party’s campaign headquarters, on the day of the parliamentary election, in Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 1, 2024.
Romania repels the right – for now
However, the country still needs to hold a crucial presidential runoff on Dec. 8 – following first-round results from Nov. 24. Afterthe surprise first-place finish of populist candidate Calin Georgescu – an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin – Romania’s Constitutional Court ordered a recount amid accusations of electoral interference by Moscow andTikTok, throwing the election in doubt.
On Monday, however, the court unanimously upheld the first-round result. Georgescu now faces center-right contender Elena Lasconi. If he wins, it could strain relations with Brussels and weaken support for Ukraine – which Georgescu has called “an invented state” – while a Lasconi win would reinforce Romania’s pro-EU position. While the prime minister is the head of government,the president has key decision-making powers in national security and foreign policy matters and nominates prime ministerial appointments, with the power to dissolve parliament if their choices are twice rejected.