Romania is choosing between turning to the extreme right in the elections or becoming a reliable partner of the EU and NATO International

Romania’s future depends on who comes second in the first round of presidential elections this Sunday, which could propel a far-right candidate to the post of head of state and bring a nationalist turn to the Eastern European country Is. The Prime Minister and Social Democratic Party (PSD) candidate, Marcel Ciolacu, is leading in all polls with 25% of the votes, although far from the required majority, so a second round of voting is expected to take place safely on 8 December. George Simion, candidate for the far-right Alliance for Union of Romanians (AUR) party, is in second place in most surveys.

The 56-year-old Ciolyaku formation lacks a social democratic orientation. He generally takes right-wing populist and nationalist stances mixed with leftist stances on social and economic issues. However, his influence in rural and less developed areas of the country could give him the victory that his political faction has been seeking since he lost the presidential election in 2004. “I voted for an economically strong Romania with a strong voice.” A world where “Romanians can have a dignified life and achieve the greatest number of victories, like a few days ago: full entry into the Schengen area,” the leader said after exercising his right to vote in Bucharest. Said.

Voters in the EU’s sixth-largest state by population – about 19 million inhabitants – have shifted toward nationalist formations in recent years as never since the fall of communism nearly 35 years ago. Simeon’s entry into the final battle for the presidency is decided by a few ballots. This Sunday afternoon, the extremist leader once again urged mobilization, saying that the “contest” would be decided by “1,000 votes.”

His election could affect the strategic role of Romania, which currently has NATO’s largest armed forces base in southeastern Europe with 5,000 foreign troops. Simion, who is against sending military aid to Ukraine, has assured that Bucharest will remain in the Atlantic alliance, but will do so in a neutral manner if elected president for the next five years. The head of state is a nominal figure who is only in charge of foreign policy and national security, apart from appointing the heads of intelligence services and chief prosecutors.

During the campaign, the candidate has softened his anti-European nationalist rhetoric – he calls Brussels a “corrupt bubble” and opposes the rights of the LGTBI community – and he has become an admirer of Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, and Donald Trump. Accepted to be. Trump, winner of the US presidential election. The 38-year-old politician hopes to take advantage of the tailwind generated by the New York tycoon’s victory to attract more ultra-conservative voters.

Furthermore, its narratives are similar to those of the Kremlin and its opposition to helping Ukraine, with which it shares a 650-kilometre land border, including its conspiracy theories, which are fueled by a significant portion of the population fed up with the fact that Some argue that their country has not progressed economically despite joining the Community Group in 2007. His more patriotic vision has also led Ukraine and Moldova to ban him from entering their territories.

parliamentary elections

G4Media political journalist Cristian Pantazzi predicts, “If he manages to advance to the second round, his AUR party could benefit from the contagion effect in the December 1 legislative elections, which will be held between the two rounds of the presidential elections.” Are.” .ro portal. The analyst warns of the danger that the formation of Auer and radical MEP Diana Sosoka, who is also anti-European and pro-Kremlin, will achieve good results in the parliamentary elections, which would allow them to choose to become part of a coalition government. For the first time in democratic history. According to the latest surveys, both the parties will get 30% votes.

The presidential campaign has been marked by personal attacks. The hardline leader has been accused of meeting with Russian spies, claims he has denied, while the prime minister, who rules in coalition with the National Liberal Party (PNL), has been accused of controversial flights on private jets financed by businessmen. In the headlines for. But, despite his low popularity ratings, Ciolaku has tried to convey a message of stability through the image of a humble and self-taught man.

In third place in the survey is Elena Lasconi, a 52-year-old former journalist and center-right mayor of Campulung, a small town 150 kilometers from Bucharest. The difference of one-tenth with Simeone in the polls, which do not count diaspora votes, could ultimately put him in second place and, in that case, put Ciolaku in trouble, who believes it will go away. Lasconi, who is president of the progressive liberal party Save Romania Union (USR) and was a presenter on a private television channel, is expected to advance to the second round and The outgoing President will look to repeat the success of Klaus Iohannis when he took office. Candidate in 2014. Social Democrat at the time after finishing second in the first race. “Today we write history,” declared the communicator, who also highlighted that the outcome would remain disputed until the final vote.

Also in the electoral race, although with lesser prospects, are former NATO number two Mircea Giona and liberal Nicolae Ciuca, a former retired general who was a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The mobilization of Romanians living abroad is even higher than five years ago. Pantazzi concluded, “Immigrants, who already represent more than 8% of the votes, will be important to know who goes to the next duel, because they are outside the scope of the election.”