Far-right pro-Russian populist surprises in Romanian presidential election; set to enter runoff against PM

Calin Georgescu leads Romania's presidential election with 22% of the vote, shaking up the political establishment.

A little-known, far-right populist took the lead in Romania’s presidential election on Sunday (November 25, 2024), electoral data showed, and will likely face leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks, an outcome that rocked the country's political landscape.

Calin Georgescu, who ran independently, led the polls with around 22% of the vote, while Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party, or PSD, trailed at 20%. Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party, or USR, stood at about 18%, and George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, took 14.1%.

After polls closed, 9.4 million people — about 52.4% of eligible voters — had cast ballots, according to the Central Election Bureau. The second round of the vote will be held Dec. 8.

Thirteen candidates ran for the presidency in the European Union and NATO member country. The President serves a five-year term and has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security, foreign policy and judicial appointments.

Mr. Georgescu, 62, ran independently and was not widely known. He outperformed most local surveys, sending shockwaves through Romania's political establishment as he ascended to poll position.

After casting his ballot on Sunday, Mr. Georgescu said in a post on Facebook that he voted “For the unjust, for the humiliated, for those who feel they do not matter and actually matter the most … the vote is a prayer for the nation.”

Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, told The Associated Press that Mr. Georgescu’s unexpected poll performance appears to be a “large protest or revolt against the establishment.”