Written by Luiza Ilie
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romanians will vote in a presidential election on Sunday that could see Calin Georgescu, who opposes NATO, defeat pro-European centrist Elena Lasconi, a result that could divide Romania from the west and undermine its support. Ukraine.
The vote is the last of three consecutive votes for a new parliament by the president of the European Union and a member of NATO in which the right has increased amid distrust in government institutions after many economic problems and full-scale violence by Russia in neighboring Ukraine. .
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Polling stations will open at 0500 GMT and close at 1900 GMT, with exit polls following the results immediately.
Georgescu, 62, a self-proclaimed outsider who considers Russian President Vladimir Putin a true and patriotic leader, stunned the Romanian public and European allies when he emerged anonymously as the winner of the Nov. 1 primary. 24.
With suspicions of Russian influence swirling around – denied by Moscow – and Romania’s national security council accusing TikTok of manipulation on social media to Georgescu’s advantage – denied by TikTok, the first phase was repeated but the Supreme Court confirmed the vote on Monday.
If Georgescu wins on Sunday, analysts say, it could boost Romanian politics, bringing it closer to a belt of central European countries with far-right, Russian-friendly politicians, including Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.
Opinion polls show that Georgescu has the support of 60 percent of the public, but 40 percent of people say they have done nothing. These elections are difficult to call.
“It is difficult to anticipate the results,” said Sergiu Miscoiu, professor of political science at Babes-Bolyai University. “Barring a large gathering by the unelected, he will win.”
Lasconi, 55, asked voters this week to ensure that Romania does not change its approach. “We have to choose between NATO security and Putin’s war. We have to choose between the success of the EU and freedom of movement, or the sound of tanks coming from the Kremlin.”
TO THE RIGHT
Georgescu cast himself as an outsider fighting against a corrupt political class that sees foreign interests, a message that resonated with many voters who are frustrated with major parties consumed by contradictions and lies.
“We have relied on others for a long time, their elections, military, food and economy,” he said on social media on Monday. “This has to stop.”
If elected, he will decide who will begin trying to form a government after the December 1 parliamentary vote.
While the ruling Social Democrat party (PSD) finished first with 22.6%, groups on the right increased their presence in parliament and said they wanted a shot at power.
The main parties, including the PSD and Lasconi’s Save Romania Union (USR), are expected to struggle to create a platform amid disagreements over the country’s huge budget deficit – 8% of GDP, the EU’s highest.
“2025 will be a very difficult year for many rulers,” said Cristian Pirvulescu, a political expert. “Keeping the president of the country is a difficult task when there is economic and social instability, so it is difficult to believe that the parliament will gather all the instruments it has.”
The President of Romania has a semi-executive role that includes commanding the military and chairing the council that decides on military aid and defense spending.
The president represents Romania at EU and NATO summits and appoints chief judges, prosecutors and secret service officials. As Hungary’s Viktor Orban did before, the next Romanian president could vote key EU votes in favor of reconciliation.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Romania has helped export millions of tons of Ukrainian grain through its Red Sea port of Constanta, trained Ukrainian military pilots and provided a Patriot air defense battery to Kyiv.
Georgescu did not explain what he would do with these issues and said that he does not want Romania to leave NATO or the EU, but that he should not accept the decision “on his knees”.
A devout Orthodox Christian, Georgescu opposes abortion and gay marriage and has a Romania-first approach that includes separate taxation of foreign and local companies. He praised the brutal Romanian leaders of the 1930s.
(Editing by Justyna Pawlak and Mark Heinrich)