Romanians cast ballots Sunday in a parliamentary election sandwiched between a two-round presidential race, the first of which has plunged the European Union and NATO member into unprecedented turmoil following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference. <\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s vote will elect a new government and prime minister and determine the formation of the 466-seat legislature. Romanians living abroad have been able to vote since Saturday. By 5 p.m., about 7.5 million people \u2013 about 42% of eligible voters \u2013 had cast ballots, according to the Central Election Bureau. <\/p>\n
The legislative vote comes a week after the first round of a presidential race that saw a controversial far-right populist who was polling in single digits win the most votes. Calin Georgescu, 62, is due to face reformist Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party, or USR, in a Dec. 8 runoff. <\/p>\n
Georgescu\u2019s success, which many have attributed to his rapid rise in popularity on the social media platform TikTok, has triggered nightly protests throughout Romania by those who oppose his past remarks praising Romanian fascist leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin and view him as a threat to democracy. <\/p>\n
Many observers believe the presidential outcome indicates a sharp shift from Romania\u2019s mainstream parties to more populist anti-establishment parties, whose voices have found fertile ground amid high inflation, high cost of living and a sluggish economy. <\/p>\n
Alexandru Rizescu, a 24-year-old medical student, says he was surprised by the result in the first-round presidential ballot and that it\u2019s an \u201cobvious sign\u201d Europe at large is shifting toward far-right populism. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost of us are sick of these big parties, but now we have to think about the \u2026 lesser evil,\u201d he said. \u201cIf Georgescu becomes president, with a favorable parliament, it\u2019s going to be wild.\u201d <\/p>\n
According to a report by Expert Forum, a Bucharest-based think tank, Georgescu\u2019s TikTok account before last week\u2019s vote saw an explosion of engagement, which it said appeared \u201csudden and artificial, similar to his polling results.\u201d <\/p>\n
Without naming Georgescu, who declared zero campaign spending, Romania\u2019s top defense body said Thursday that \u201ca presidential candidate benefited from massive exposure due to preferential treatment\u201d granted by TikTok. Romania has become a \u201cpriority target for hostile actions\u201d by Russia, it added. The Kremlin denies it is meddling. <\/p>\n
The same day, the Constitutional Court requested a recount of all 9.4 million votes after a presidential candidate who obtained 1% filed a complaint alleging the USR had violated electoral laws against campaign activities on polling day. The Central Election Bureau approved the request and said scanned reports were due to be sent in by Sunday night. On Friday, the court postponed a decision until Monday on whether to annul the vote. <\/p>\n
Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, predicted the general election could also be reshaped by Georgescu\u2019s success, with far-right parties possibly obtaining record highs. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe impact of the surprise in last Sunday\u2019s presidential election will be significant, and we are going to wake up in a new political reality,\u201d he told The Associated Press. \u201cGeorgescu voters will speak again and will reshape how we look at the political Romanian spectrum from now on and probably forever.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThe most probable scenario will be a difficult-to-build majority in the parliament to support and endorse a new government,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Despite historically being Romania\u2019s two main opposition parties that have dominated post-communist politics, the Social Democratic Party, PSD, and the National Liberal Party, PNL, formed an unlikely coalition in 2021, which has become increasingly strained. A small ethnic Hungarian party exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute. <\/p>\n
After casting his ballot on Sunday, incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told the media that Romanians \u201chave to choose between stability and chaos.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cToday is a very important day for all of us Romanians to stay on our European and North Atlantic path,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is the most important choice we have to make today.\u201d <\/p>\n
Georgescu told the media Sunday that he voted \u201cso the good prevails over evil.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI voted for peace, not for war, for respect, for total political responsibility, dedicated totally to Romanian people,\u201d he said. \u201cI voted for Romania, along with Romania, forever for Romania.\u201d <\/p>\n
While the presidential role in Romania has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security and foreign policy, the prime minister is the head of the nation\u2019s government. <\/p>\n
Recent surveys have suggested the top three parties in Sunday\u2019s race will be the PSD, the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians and the PNL. After rising to the political scene eight years ago on an anti-corruption ticket, the USR\u2019s popularity has diminished in recent years, but could garner the next most votes. <\/p>\n
More minor parties that may not pass the 5% threshold to enter parliament include the pro-EU reformist REPER party and the liberal-conservative Force of the Right. Some have predicted that the far-right nationalist S.O.S Romania party, and the little-known Party of Young People, which has backed Georgescu, could pass the threshold. <\/p>\n
Sens, a progressive grassroots party founded last year that advocates for improvements in sustainability and transparency, could also garner enough votes to enter parliament. <\/p>\n
Silviu Safta, a 30-year-old retail manager in Bucharest, said that Georgescu topping the polls was \u201ca surprise for everyone, except for the 2 million people that voted for him,\u201d and that he\u2019s skeptical whether Sunday\u2019s parliamentary vote will follow the same populist tilt. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think Romanians will be more informed about their elections and \u2026 their candidates,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a little bit skeptical about the results, but I hope that democracy will win.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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