“Political earthquake": what is known about the pro-Russian candidate who led in the first round of the Romanian presidential election

According to the electoral commission, pro-Russian far-right politician Kelin Georgescu won the first round of the presidential election in Romania with 23% of the vote, dealing a severe blow to the country's political establishment. As noted in the expert community, this is a political earthquake, and no one expected such an outcome. What is known about the leader of the first round of the presidential race in Romania, according to the Financial Times, writes UNN.

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Kelin Georgescu, who, according to the newspaper, was previously linked to the radical nationalist AUR party, ran as an independent candidate and was not considered a favorite. As no candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote on Sunday, Georgescu will take part in a runoff election in two weeks.

If Georgescu wins, he will hold the most powerful position in Romania, with the right to appoint the prime minister, lead coalition negotiations, and have the final say on security and foreign policy.

According to preliminary results, Georgescu received about 23 percent of the vote. Left-wing Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the pre-vote polls, according to the latest figures cited by the Romanian media outlet Digi 24, received 19.15 percent (1,769,412) of the vote, and Liberal leader Elena Lasconi 19.17 percent (1,771,542), while Gheorgheseku had 22.95 percent (2,120,163) of the vote.

Pro-Russian candidate leads in Romania's presidential electionNov 25 2024, 02:07 AM • 14305 views

"This is a political earthquake," said Costin Chobanu, a researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark. - "No one saw this coming. The radical right-wing candidate will win in the first round, and there is a possibility that Prime Minister Ciolacu will not make it to the second round.

The elections came amidst discontent with the status quo, with the Cholak coalition government facing accusations of corruption and mismanagement.

"Georgescu has previously questioned Romania's membership in NATO, arguing that the country sees no obvious benefits from the alliance. He has also criticized the deployment of a missile shield in Romania, in statements that echo those of Russian President Vladimir Putin," the FT points out.

In 2020, he reportedly called Putin one of the few "true leaders" in the world and said that the Russian president "loves his country.

"During his tenure as an honorary member of the AUR, Georgescu drew widespread condemnation for his support of former Romanian far-right leaders. He also called Romania's pro-Nazi dictator Ion Antonescu, under whose rule hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered, a "martyr," the publication notes.

Sources from Kelin Georgescu's campaign team told the Romanian media outlet Digi 24 that the politician will not make any public statements today because "he needs to optimize himself" and that he will wait for the final results of the elections held on Sunday.

The publication also notes that Marcel Ciolacu is considering resigning from the PSD party leadership, according to party sources, after he came third in the first round of voting in the Romanian presidential election. This is the first time in history that the PSD will not have a candidate in the second round of the presidential election.

In this weekend's presidential polls, AUR leader George Simion came in fourth place with 13 percent, according to the FT, while other candidates such as former Prime Minister Nicolae Ceauquet and former NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană received less than 10 percent of the vote each.