Presidential elections in Romania: risks for Ukraine and division in the EU
Kyiv • UNN
Presidential elections will be held in Romania, which may lead to political instability and affect support for Ukraine. The election results may cause division among European countries.
In Romania, the ruling coalition has made a final decision regarding the presidential elections - they will be held on May 4. If a second round is necessary, it is scheduled for May 18. What is the situation in Romania on the eve of the elections, how they may end and why this event is so important for Ukraine - the correspondent of UNN investigated.
Why will Romania hold presidential elections again?
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Romania broke with its totalitarian past and embarked on the path of democratic development. In 2004, this country became a member of NATO, and in 2007, together with Bulgaria, it joined the European Union.
However, like Ukraine, Romanian democracy remains quite young and faces constant challenges that can lead to destabilization of the situation, at least in Eastern Europe. One of these challenges is the presidential elections, which are to be held as early as May 4.
On December 6, the Constitutional Court of Romania decided to annul the results of the first round of presidential elections. The pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu won them, promising to curtail aid to Ukraine and ban the transit of Ukrainian grain. He also made several scandalous statements regarding the division of our state.
However, after the publication of documents of the Romanian special services, as well as suspicions that Georgescu's campaign is supported by Russia, his candidacy was withdrawn from the elections.
Who are the main presidential candidates and their positions on Ukraine
Georgescu was replaced by his ally, the leader of the Romanian far-right party "Alliance for the Union of Romanians" George Simion, who was allowed to run in these presidential elections.
The far-right candidate is opposed by the pro-European coalition of ruling parties, which has already publicly stated that it supports Crin Antonescu as a joint candidate.
Other participants in the race include Elena Lasconi (USR), Nicușor Dan (independent), Călin Gheorghescu (independent) and Daniel Funeriu (independent).
Of course, it is best for Ukraine if the politicians who were in power before remain in power. But we see that Romania has turned into a field of confrontation between the globalist circles of Europe and the conservatives
According to the political scientist, the best development of events for Ukraine would be the victory of the more liberal and European Crin Antonescu or Elena Lasconi, and not a candidate with a far-right bias. However, regardless of the outcome of the elections, Romania will continue to be in a state of political turbulence.
"In general, we are now seeing that next to Hungary, next to Slovakia, the process of "Trumpization" is beginning in Romania. This does not bode well for Ukraine," - explained Zolotariov.
The impact of the elections in Romania on Europe and Ukraine
The political scientist also emphasized that the European Union will have to increasingly immerse itself in the confrontation with individual heads of state who are oriented towards US President Donald Trump and are trying to implement his policies in their countries. This will bring even more chaos and will not be useful for Ukraine.
For his part, the director of the Institute of Politics, Ruslan Bortnik, stressed that the elections in Romania have already become a source of instability both in the country itself and in the European Union.
There will be destabilization in Europe. Someone will recognize these elections, someone will not recognize these elections. In fact, it is about a split among European countries
The expert is convinced that the results of the elections in Romania are important for Ukraine from a military point of view. If a candidate oriented towards Moscow comes to power in this country, this will create problems with the supply of weapons to our state.
"We are interested in stability in Romania, because the main flow of weapons for Ukraine goes through Romania, not through Poland, as many people think. So this is a very important neighbor of Ukraine," - Bortnik stressed.
At the same time, Romania has the most powerful fleet in the region after Turkey. Its withdrawal from the Black Sea grain agreement will have negative consequences for Ukraine.
Romania has the most powerful fleet in the Black Sea after Turkey. Its departure from compliance with security agreements in this region will mean abandoning the security of Ukraine
What should Ukraine do
Today, Romania is in a state of political instability. Regardless of the final result of the elections, even if a second round on May 18 is not needed, Ukraine will have to find a common language with the winner and be able to adapt in case of the victory of a candidate whose rhetoric is not too favorable to our state.
"Ukrainian diplomacy should work to avoid a state of political default. When we have such a powerful enemy, we must have normal relations with other countries under any circumstances. I'm not saying friendly, just normal. This is the main task, because these are our western borders," - Zolotariov summed up.
