Eurotopics: Surprising Turn in Romanian Presidential Election

Before the Romanian presidential election, speculation was rife about whether George Simion of the far-right AUR party would make it to the runoff vote. Now, another far-right candidate has surprisingly taken the lead: Călin Georgescu, who was charged with Holocaust denial in 2022 and has sharply criticised Romania's Nato membership. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu apparently came in third, just a few votes behind the centre-right candidate Elena Lasconi, which means he won't be in the runoff vote.

The result of frustration and poor governance

Spotmedia (Romania) points to several reasons for Georgescu's victory:

“The frustration of a large part of the population which has been abandoned with its problems, fears and expectations by the established parties. These, of course, vary depending on the level of education and region, but all have been equally ignored. And the immense humiliation caused by the disregard of the shameless President Iohannis. ... Poor governance with major economic consequences is another reason. You can't fool people into believing that prosperity reigns when their situation is steadily deteriorating. Romania has one of the highest inflation rates in the EU, its debt is growing at a rapid pace and it is putting our EU funds at risk. In return, the people are being fed slogans that fill neither their pockets nor their stomachs.”

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Acing Tiktok

Călin Georgescu owes his success to social media, Transtelex (Romania) argues:

“His campaign staff made excellent use of Tiktok's visual format. His videos often included powerful national symbols, such as the Romanian tricolour and images of historical heroes, which added emotional power to his messages. The short, snappy format allowed him to convey his radical views quickly and succinctly. The platform's algorithms favour viral content, especially when it triggers strong emotions. Georgescu's provocative style and sharp political messages fitted this pattern perfectly, and his videos reached millions of viewers.”

Radicalism disguised as moderation

Georgescu apparently also won over voters outside the far-right camp, Index (Hungary) observes:

“Georgescu is known above all for his fierce anti-Nato, anti-EU and pro-Russian stance, while he defends the far-right Legionary Movement that was active between the wars. ... However, because he is far more reserved in his communication, not as shrill as, for example, [his fellow far-right candidates] George Simion or Diana Șoșoacă, it wasn't just far-right supporters who voted for Georgescu. He came across as much more credible than they did as a leader because of his previous experience at the UN.”

Reprinted from eurotopics. You can find the original here.