Extremist in run-off election

Putin admirer in the lead in presidential election

Bitter defeat for Romania's head of government Marcel Ciolacu and a bad omen for the upcoming parliamentary elections

(Bild: APA/AP)

In Romania, politicians, pollsters and broad sections of society are in shock after the presidential election: the little-known extremist and anti-Semitic non-party candidate Calin Georgescu has won the first round. The favored social democratic head of government Marcel Ciolacu only came in third place and resigned as party leader.

Exit polls on the evening of the election had put the prime minister in first place by a clear margin. However, as the count progressed, Ciolacu fell behind and was overtaken first by Georgescu and then by the conservative opposition politician Elena Lasconi. The votes of Romanians abroad, including in Austria, proved to be decisive. In the final tally, the prime minister was only just over 2000 votes short of second place. While Georgescu clearly won with 22.95 percent, Lasconi achieved 19.17 percent or 0.02 percentage points more than Ciolacu.

Calin Georgescu, who is independent of any political party, has effectively emerged from nowhere and has no political party behind him. Observers agree that this was a protest election.

(Bild: Associated Press)

For the ruling Social Democrats (PSD), Cioulacu's departure is an unprecedented debacle and a bad omen ahead of next Sunday's parliamentary elections. Cioulacu said that he would remain head of government until after the election. He was at the head of a grand coalition with the Liberals (PNL), whose leader Nicolae Ciuca also suffered a bitter defeat in the election, achieving only 8.8 percent of the vote. According to media reports, Ciolacu is said to have already offered his resignation during the night, but he is said to be waiting until an executive successor has been agreed before announcing the move. The run-off election for the presidency will take place in two weeks' time.

Sociologists speak of a protest election
In live broadcasts and election analyses, Romanian sociologists spoke of an angry vote by 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, who were responsible for the constantly high inflation (five percent) and increasing impoverishment of the people.

Elena Lasconi

(Bild: AFP/Daniel MIHAILESCU)

Georgescu campaigned on social media
Georgescu, who has no party affiliation, has de facto emerged from nowhere, has no political party behind him and has always operated "under the radar" during the election campaign, or has campaigned for votes almost exclusively via social networks, above all TikTok, using influencers, podcasts and videos, according to the tenor. Romanian political analysts are puzzling over whether Georgescu's sudden rise is due to the "stupidity" of the electorate or to targeted interference by Russia, particularly on social networks, in favour of the declared Putin admirer - and see the country at a crossroads in a completely unexpected way.

On the evening of the election, Georgescu said at a press conference broadcast via Facebook that the Romanian people had "awoken to consciousness" and expressed their will to "no longer remain on their knees, no longer under invasion, no longer humiliated". Economic insecurity had led to this vote. "Tonight, the Romanian people shouted 'peace'," Georgescu added - presumably with a view to Russia's war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine. The fourth-placed candidate George Simion from the far-right parliamentary party AUR, who was eliminated with 14% of the vote, announced that he would support Georgescu in the run-off.

Georgescu had himself filmed while voting for a social media post:

Extremist, anti-Semite, Putin admirer
Calin Georgescu, an agronomist by training, was initially briefly in the spotlight in 2022 when the right-wing nationalist AUR offered him the position of honorary chairman of the party. However, AUR leader George Simion fell out with the 62-year-old shortly afterwards after Georgescu's slogans proved too radical even for AUR right-wing populists - Georgescu had caused an unprecedented scandal by singing the praises of the main perpetrators of the Romanian Holocaust, Marshal Ion Antonescu and the leader of the fascist "Iron Guard" Corneliu Zelea-Codreanu. The General Prosecutor's Office subsequently opened a criminal investigation against him.

Russian media cheer Georgescu's victory
Georgescu relies on mystical-religious rhetoric, whereby he does not consider himself a "candidate", but rather a "called one". "One for all and all for God", he said in one of his election campaign podcasts. He is considered radically extremist and anti-Semitic, holds anti-NATO views and is a great admirer of Putin

Georgescu's victory is being celebrated in the Russian media. The Russian state news agency Ria Novosti reported that a pro-Russian candidate had made it to the run-off for the highest office in the country. Georgescu wants to normalize relations between the two countries. Lasconi was described by Ria Novosti as a "supporter of a policy hostile to Russia". The TASS news agency also reported that Georgescu is seeking to "normalize" his country's relations with Russia and is extremely sceptical about Romania's NATO membership.

President has significant political powers
As Romania is a semi-presidential republic, the head of state has significant political powers. According to the Romanian constitution, the President has the authority to issue directives on foreign and defense policy and is also the supreme commander of the army and head of the country's Defense Council. The President also represents Romania at EU level and at European Council summits, as well as in international law. He is seen as the guarantor of the country's independence, the rule of law and, in the event of political or social tensions, as a mediator between the authorities and society.