Romania returning to the polls this Sunday after the cancellation of the presidential election, the favorite far right – Liberation
Five months later The shock cancellation of the first round of the presidential electionRomania is back in the polls this Sunday, May 4 in a tense atmosphere, with a possible new victory of the extreme right. The polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (6 hours in France) for a closure at 9 p.m. (7 p.m. in France). The urns outing polls will be published shortly after.
Omnipresent social networks, anger And disillusionment of part of the population, numerous undecided: the ingredients are the same as on November 24, when the critical candidate of the EU and NATO Calin Georgescu had arose in mind to everyone’s surprise, plunging the country of Eastern Europe into political turmoil.
Excluded from the election by the Constitutional Court after a massive campaign on Tiktok tainted with Russian interference suspicionshe brandished « The power of voting that terrifies the system ». « It’s time to recover our country », He launched this Sunday after having slipped his bulletin into the ballot box in Mogosoaia, near Bucharest, alongside the one who replaced him, George Simion.
Eleven candidates in total seek an essentially protocol but influence in foreign policy, in this EU member country of 19 million inhabitants that have become an essential NATO pillar since the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Credited with some 30 % of the votes according to polls to be handled with care, George Simion puts at 38 years on his youth, his sovereignist rhetoric And his mastery of the Tiktok platform to hope to avenge his now ally Georgescu. If the leader of the nationalist party Aur denies any inclination for Russia, he shares the same aversion to « Brussels bureaucrats »accusing them without proof of having immudced themselves in the electoral process.
On the markets or abroad to convince the important diaspora, This fan of Donald Trump Dreaming in « President Maga » (Make America Great Again), a slogan sometimes displayed on his caps. « We are here with a single mission: to restore democracy (…) and do justice to Romania », he said on Sunday.
Faced with George Simion, three contenders can access the second round scheduled for May 18. The candidate of the pro-European coalition in power, Crin Antonescu, offers « stability ». The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, promises to fight against « corruption »wanting the megaphone « Silent and honest Romanians ». Further behind, the former Social Democratic Prime Minister Victor Ponta relies on a speech with Trumpist accents.
After cancellation, extremely rare decision within the EU, the ballot is under close surveillance. Thousands of people have demonstrated in recent months to denounce « A coup ». The United States also intervened, vice-president JD Vance calling for listening to the voice of a people who have been silent « Based on the weak suspicions of an intelligence agency ».
The authorities, who have strengthened preventive measures and collaboration with the Tiktok network, claim to have « Lessons learning » fiasco. While the extreme right evokes « Multiple signs of fraud »the government has pointed out various disinformation campaigns, seeing it « New attempts at manipulation and interference led by state actors ».
