Millions of Romanians are voting in crucial parliamentary election just one week after a hard-right relatively unknown candidate Călin Georgescu shocked the political establishment by coming first.
Sunday’s parliamentary race will determine the country’s new government and prime minister. Hard-right parties are expected to do well, but not necessarily win enough votes to form a majority.
Voting was brisk with more than double the turnout in the first two hours of voting compared to 2020, the previous elections.
Sunday’s ballot was overshadowed by turmoil from last week’s presidential vote and a controversial decision to recount the vote.
Romania’s president is in charge of national security, intelligence agencies and foreign policy, while the prime minister heads the government and manages the economy.
Georgescu ran an under-the-radar campaign, relying on the social media platform TikTok. He reported zero campaign spending, but his meteroric rise in popularity has fueled suspsicions of fraud and foreign interference.
He surged to 23% after polling in the single digits, easily defeating centrist rival, Elena Lasconi, of the Save Romania Union party, and incumbent prime minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party, who was expected to come first.
Mr. Georgescu, 62, is dubbed the ‘TikTok Messiah’ for his ultra-religious statements, and has openly expressed admiration for fascist wartime leaders and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
He campaigns for a ‘neutral’ Romania, in echoes of Russian narratives, which has raised concerns about Romania’s commitment to NATO and the EU.
The top court also decided to postpone until Monday a request to annul the election’s results, a decision that means the two candidates cannot start their campaigns.
