Mircea Geoana, the deputy secretary of NATO, has hinted he may run for president of Romania in elections he called the most important of a generation.
Mr. Geoana has been a presumed presidential candidate for most of the year, but the Social Democratic Party that might have backed him, giving a major boost to his campaign, has picked Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu as its candidate.
Speaking on Digi24, Mr. Geoana, 66, on Sunday said he would consult with his NATO bosses before publicly making an announcement. “I’ve already made a decision at a personal level,” he said in his strongest hint to date that he would run.
“At a political and institutional level, I must respect the rules of the game at NATO…I will make a formal and official announcement when I finish my mandate (at NATO),” he told Digi24.
Politico recently reported that Mr. Geoana is about to give up his role at NATO to run for Romania’s top post.
The former foreign minister said that the country was ready “for an important change” calling the 2024 presidential elections are the most important in the last 20 years.
“I am determined, I am calm, I am determined but regarding a formal and official announcement, we have to wait a few more days,” he added.
Mr, Geoana, a former presidential candidate and Romania’s ambassador to the U.S. was Romania’s favorite choice for president in polls earlier this year. His experience in top level domestic and international jobs and pro-Atlantic views have given him a broad support base.
But he was hit last month by plagiarism allegations over his 2005 doctoral thesis, following a journalistic investigation. He said he followed the rules at the time.
Polls have not been released since Mr. Ciolacu and Liberal Party chairman Nicolae Ciuca announced they were running for president. Former Justice Minister Ana Birchall and Elena Lasconi, a mayor and head the centrist Save Romanian Union, are also running.
Romania holds presidential elections in November with a runoff in December if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote.
President Klaus Iohannis is stepping down after serving a maximum two 5-year terms.
Another presidential candidate, former Premier Ciuca has also been accused of plagiarism. Mr. Ciuca was cleared of the charges while he was a sitting prime minister due to statute of limitations.
