The first round of the presidential elections in Romania ended in sensational fashion. Independent candidate Calin Georgescu is a university professor, according to partial results based on a cumulative count of 99.9% of votes cast.
An unknown figure in politics, Georgescu advanced to the second round with 22.93% of the votes cast in last Sunday’s general presidential election.
Let us remember that in his electoral program Georgescu, who was previously a member of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), criticized the EU and NATO. If he wins, he promised to end “subordination to the European Union and NATO,” especially regarding military support for Ukraine. He also believes that membership in the North Atlantic bloc cannot guarantee Romania’s security and advocates an alliance with Russia.
According to official data published on the website of the electoral body AEP on Monday morning, Elena Lasconipresident of the opposition alliance Save Romania (USR), obtained 19.17% of the votes and is 434 votes ahead. Marcela Ciolaculeader of the Romanian Social Democrats and current prime minister of the coalition government. Upon further calculation, Colaku came in second place, gaining 19.3%.
However, Colaku then lost to Lasconi, receiving 19.15% of the vote. He then resigned from his position as president of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The politician, speaking at the PSD headquarters, added that he will remain at the head of the Government until a new parliamentary majority is formed and will not run for another position during the renewal of powers that will be organized in the PSD.
Candidates Georgescu and Lasconi will now face each other in the second round of the presidential elections, which will take place on December 8.
A race similar to the final count between Ciolaku and Lasconi also caused a sensation in the presidential elections, as pre-election forecasts promised the current Prime Minister a lead in the first round with a significant lead over the second candidate.
In a televised statement immediately after the release of exit polls placing him in third place, Calin Georgescu described the election results as “a surprising awakening of the Romanian people.”
“The Romanian people have decided that they will no longer kneel, that they will no longer tolerate occupation, oppression and humiliation. We are strong, we are brave, many of us came to vote and there will be more of us in the second round. “Now what I said has been proven: we are not involved in politics, we are making history.” – said Georgescu.
Georgescu, who campaigned exclusively on social media before the presidential election, stated in one of his posts that he comes from a family of Orthodox priests and that his ancestors included military officers and historians. He himself graduated from the Faculty of Agronomy and earned a doctorate in land reclamation, then continued his diplomatic career as an environmental specialist at the United Nations Global Sustainability Index Institute in Geneva and Vaduz. Between 2010 and 2012, Georgescu served as Special Rapporteur of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Since 2021, he has been teaching at the Provincial University of Pitesti, Arges county in the region. In the media, without any real basis, he is sometimes called a pro-Russian politician.
According to Romanian media, in 2022 the Prosecutor General’s Office brought Georgescu to justice for what he allegedly called on the Antena 3 news. Corneliu Zelea Codreanu (1899-1938), founder of the fascist Iron Guard, and Marshal Ion Antonescu (1882-1946), executed for war crimes, are among the heroes of the Romanian nation.
It should be noted that in Romania the head of state determines foreign and security policy, is the supreme commander of the armed forces and participates in the control of the intelligence services. Parliamentary elections in Romania are scheduled for December 1. They are still more important than the presidential elections.
