Romania will vote this Sunday, December 1, in the legislative elections marked by political uncertainty And suspicions of Russian interference in the first round of last week’s presidential elections, held on November 24, with ultranationalist forces the main possible beneficiaries of the elections.
During these legislative elections on Sunday, the far right of Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) They have a chance to win with a 22.4% votes, as polls predict.
On the other hand, these legislative elections are marked by presidential elections eclipsed by the unexpected victory, in the first round, of the “almost” unknown ultra-pro-Russian Calin Georgescu. This candidate presented himself as an independent and obtained a surprising 23% votes, a result well above 6% that the investigations gave him.
All this aroused suspicion possible electoral fraudprovoked, it seems, by Russian interference. In view of this, the Constitutional Court ordered a new charge 9.4 million votes published, sparking a political storm and sharp criticism, even from center-right pro-European parties.
Indeed, this Monday, December 2, the Constitutional Parliament will decide whether to cancel the first round presidential elections of November 24.
In the event of suspension, Romanian citizens They must go to the polls on December 15 for the first round of the presidential elections and on the 29th of the same month for the second round, as reported by the president of the Permanent Electoral Office in Radio Romania News.
To ensure the security of vote counting, the electoral authority issued a circular asking all relevant offices to does not reveal preliminary results. The document highlights the need to maintain the confidentiality of data related to the counting of valid and invalid votes.
Romania: chaos and mistrust
Romania, until recently a bastion of stability in the Black Sea region and a key NATO ally in Western aid to Ukrainefinds itself plunged into an unprecedented situation of political chaos And mistrust in establishments.
The country of 19 million inhabitants has been governed since 2021 by a grand coalition between social democrats (PSD) and center right (PNL), the two parties which have monopolized power in recent decades.
THE ideological tensions within the coalition, particularly among the bases of the PNL, a formation which has for years criticized corruption and social democratic nepotismas well as persistent inflation and inequality, have fueled a protest vote that benefits the far right.
Thus, the situation of distrust towards institutions and the uncertainty due to the new count are giving rise to new political groups and far-right personalities, who promise radical changes.
In fact, a recent poll suggests that the AUR party, led by George Simion, could win 22.4% of the votes in the legislative elections overtaking the Social Democratic Party (PSD) located in 21.4%.
The Save Romania Union (USR) would reach 17.5%, while the National Liberal Party would reach 13.4%. The UDMR, which traditionally supports the government, would enter Parliament with 5.5%.
Georgescu, without his own political program, is supported by the Youth Party (POT), even if polls indicate that this party would not reach the 5% threshold necessary to enter Parliament, just like the Radical Party (SOS) of Diana Şoșoacă.
AUR, the possible winners
The far-right AUR, led by Simion, has sought to moderate its discourse in recent months, distancing itself from past anti-vaccine positions and presenting himself as a defender of sovereignty and traditional values. His major political references are Donald Trump And Giorgia Meloni.
However, the party maintains an irredentist program advocating unification with Moldova –Simion is not allowed to enter towards this country and Ukraine – and a marked skepticism towards the European Union. He also promised to cut military aid to Ukraine if he came to power.
The polls in Romania, despite everything, They are generally unreliableno one predicted Georgescu’s victory in the presidential elections and until recently they gave the PSD a comfortable victory in the presidential and legislative elections with up to 30% support.
The mobilization of the nationalist vote could be favored by the fact that the vote coincides tomorrow, December 1, with Romanian National Dayduring which a military parade is also planned in the center of Bucharest.
PSD and PNL: on a tightrope
The situation between the traditional parties is weak, the PSD and the PNL have an interim leadership after the resignation of its leaders for his failure in the presidential elections.
Faced with this situation, the beneficiary among the pro-European groups could be the Union Let’s save Romania (USR), a centrist and nationalist party with some populist overtones. The training manager, Elena Lasconicame second in the first presidential round with 19% of the vote.
“In addition to the AUR, the USR, Lasconi’s party, could also gain more support among PNL voters. This means that, anti-system partiesthe AUR and the USR, whatever their political orientation, could take advantage of the situation,” he explains to Efe political scientist Cristian Pirvulescu.
The elections will take place under special surveillance by the security forces, which they already detected last week. cyberattacks during the presidential elections.
He Supreme Defense Council (CSAT), without specifying the precise origin of these attacks, noted: “Romania, along with other states on NATO’s eastern flank, has become a priority for hostile actions by certain state and non-state actors, especially the Russian Federation.
