Romania in shock – Putin admirers take the lead in the presidential elections

The incumbent Prime Minister and presidential candidate of the ruling Post-Communists (PSD), Marcel Ciolacu, is in second place with 19.7 percent in the second election on December 8.

There is still little hope for the third-placed candidate
According to the partial results, the presidential candidate of the USR reform party, Elena Lasconi, was able to collect 18.7 percent of the votes, although in theory she still made gains thanks to the votes of Romanians abroad. However, the majority of Romanian pollsters consider it highly unlikely that the reformist politician could make up the difference with Ciolacu and force him out of the final round of the presidential race.

Sociologists speak of protest votes
Romanian sociologists spoke in live broadcasts and election analyzes about an angry voice of Romanian citizens – the election result was a clear protest by the electorate against the party system in general and the two governing parties PSD and Liberals (PNL) in particular, which are responsible for the persistently high inflation (five percent) and the increasing impoverishment of the population.

Georgescu-Roegen campaigned on social media
Georgescu-Roegen, who is independent of any party, de facto appeared from nowhere, had no political party behind him and always acted “under the radar” in the election campaign or campaigned almost exclusively for votes through social networks, especially TikTok, with with the help of influencers. podcasts and videos the tenor. Romanian political scientists wonder whether the sudden rise of Georgescu-Roegen was due to the “stupidity” of the electorate or to targeted interference by Russia, especially in social networks, in favor of the declared Putin admirer – and see the country as a whole unexpectedly find yourself at a crossroads.

On election night, Georgescu-Roegen said in a press conference broadcast via Facebook that the Romanian people had “awakened to consciousness” and expressed the will “not to remain on their knees, not to be invaded, not to be humiliated.” Economic uncertainty led to this vote. “Tonight the Romanian people shouted ‘peace’,” Georgescu-Roegen added – probably in view of Russia’s war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine. The candidate George Simion of the far-right parliamentary party AUR, who was eliminated in fourth place with 14 percent of the votes, announced that he would support Georgescu-Roegen in the second election.

Georgescu-Roegen was filmed voting for a social media post:

Extremist, anti-Semite, Putin admirer
Calin Georgescu, a trained agronomist, was briefly in the spotlight in 2022 when the right-wing national AUR offered him the position of honorary chairman of the party. However, AUR boss George Simion had a falling out with the 62-year-old moments later after Georgescu-Roegen’s slogans proved too radical even for right-wing populists of the AUR – Georgescu-Roegen had praised the main perpetrators of the Romanian Holocaust, Marshal Ion Antonescu and the leader of the fascist “Iron Guard” Corneliu Zelea-Codreanu caused an unprecedented scandal. The Public Prosecution Service subsequently opened a criminal investigation against him.

Georgescu-Roegen bases himself on a mystical-religious rhetoric, in which he does not see himself as a “candidate”, but rather as a “caller”. “One for all and all for God,” he said in one of his campaign podcasts. He is considered radical extremist and anti-Semitic, represents anti-NATO views and is considered a great admirer of Putin.

17 polling stations established in Austria
The country’s nearly 19,000 polling stations opened at 6am CET and closed at 8pm CET. This time, Romanian authorities have set up 950 polling stations abroad, including 17 in Austria – namely six in Vienna, two in Salzburg, Graz and Linz and one each in Eisenstadt, Sankt Pölten, Bregenz, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt.

Because Romania is a semi-presidential republic, the head of state has significant political powers. Under the Romanian constitution, the power to direct foreign and defense policy lies with the president, who is also the commander-in-chief of the army and heads the country’s defense council. The President also represents Romania at EU level, at European Council summits and under international law. It is seen as a guarantee of the country’s independence, the rule of law and, in case of political or social tensions, as a mediator between authorities and society.