Romania and Shock First-Round Presidential Result: Calin Georgescu Takes First
Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Romania is in shock after the surprise first-round presidential election result. This concerns Calin Georgescu coming first, with 22.9% of the vote. Meanwhile, Elena Lasconi came a surprise second. Therefore, the favorite, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, was knocked out after obtaining roughly 19.00 percent of the vote.
The BBC reports, “Ciolacu tended his resignation as leader of the Social Democrats on Monday morning.”
Georgescu upset the apple cart after utilizing TikTok and calling for the curtailment of aid to Ukraine. He also questioned the role of NATO within the body politic of Romania’s geopolitical concerns.
Georgescu ran under the slogan: “Restore the dignity of the Romanian nation.”
He declared, “Tonight, the Romanian people cried out for peace. And they shouted very loudly, extremely loudly.”
Cristian Andrei (political consultant) said, “The mainstream political parties have lost the connection with regular Romanians.”
Euronews reports, “Romania’s president serves a five-year term, is the commander-in-chief of the military and represents the country at NATO and European Union summits.”
Reports claim that George Simion urged his 1.3 million voters to support Georgescu in the presidential run-off to be held on December 8.
The Guardian reports, “The result is one of the biggest electoral upsets in Romania’s post-communist history and bears little relation to pre-election polls, which had shown the little-known Georgescu running at 5% and predicted the outgoing prime minister, the centre-left, pro-EU Marcel Ciolacu, would win comfortably. Ciolacu instead was in third on 19.15%.”
Ordinary Romanians are worried about the cost of living, high inflation, poverty, and other economic ills that blight the country. Also, some question why so much support is being given to Ukraine given the internal circumstances of Romania.
Lasconi is hoping to obtain support from a broad spectrum of moderate voters in the run-off against Georgescu.
Romania Insider reports, “As a presidential candidate, Lasconi advocates for systemic reforms, emphasizing the rule of law, economic development, and environmental sustainability. She promotes policies aimed at reducing bureaucracy, enhancing public services, and fostering a business-friendly environment.”
Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia are more neutral concerning the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. It seems that Romania – similar to Moldova – is also divided on this issue.
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