Far-right candidate takes shock lead in Romania presidential election
A far-right, pro-Russia candidate has unexpectedly taken the lead in the first round of Romania’s presidential election, with preliminary results showing his pro-European rival close behind.
With 96% of votes counted, ultranationalist Călin Georgescu has secured 22%, while Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu trails with 20%, according to the Central Electoral Bureau.
Georgescu’s strong performance, driven by a campaign largely conducted on the social media platform TikTok despite his lack of party affiliation, has emerged as the biggest surprise of the election.
He is now poised to face Ciolacu in a final run-off for the presidency on December 8, creating a dilemma for the millions of voters who supported other candidates.
One option would be to back Ciolacu, a populist Social Democrat and establishment figure who supports maintaining Romania’s pro-Western alignment. Alternatively, voters could rally behind Georgescu, who has pledged to restore Romania’s sovereignty and reject what he calls subservience to the European Union and NATO. Georgescu has also criticized NATO’s missile defense shield in Deveselu and Romania’s support for Ukraine.
The final results from this round, including votes from Bucharest and the sizable Romanian diaspora, are expected later on Monday.
The election campaign has largely revolved around Romania’s soaring cost of living, with the country having the EU’s highest proportion of people at risk of poverty.
Exit polls released earlier on Sunday suggested that Ciolacu had a commanding lead, and projected the centre-right candidate, Elena Lasconi, would take second place.
The current tally, however, puts Lasconi in third on 18%, and another nationalist, George Simion, in fourth.
The president in Romania has a largely symbolic role but considerable influence on areas such as foreign policy.
Turnout was 51%, similar to the figure five years ago.
