Romania’s Nicolae Ciuca has received an important endorsement from a European leader ahead of the November presidential race.
Roberta Metsola, the re-elected president of the European Parliament, posted a video on Tuesday where she expressed her “respect for (Ciuca’s) democratic values and efforts to strengthen Romania’s voice in Europe.”
In 2020, Mr. Ciuca, a retired general received a top military award from the U.S. Ambassador for his contribution to European and NATO security. He was prime minister from 2021 to 2023 and is now Senate speaker. He also served as defense minister.
In the endorsement, she said that, “as presidents of our parliaments, I understand the weight of the responsibility they carry to listen to citizens, to understand them and to work on policies that improve people’s lives, and Nicolae Ciucă has constantly demonstrated his ability to do this.”
“Dear colleagues, dear friends. At the last European elections in June, Romania and Romanians lived up to expectations with an impressive turnout. I want to thank you all for the tireless work you have done to get out to vote. Because of you, Romania succeeded. Europe succeeded. And yet, there are still challenges that we have to face. We all see Russia’s war against Ukraine and its repercussions and impact in Europe, especially in neighboring countries, such as Romania,” says the President of the European Parliament in the message.
Metsola says that in challenging times, people care about their security and prosperity and worry about their safety, about protecting their rights, and about being able to heat their homes or make ends meet.
“In these moments, leadership matters. I first came to know Nicolae Ciucă first as Prime Minister of Romania, and later as a colleague, as President of the Romanian Senate,” she said.
“During all this time, I have always admired his commitment, his respect for democratic values and his efforts to strengthen Romania’s voice in Europe. As presidents of our respective parliaments, we understand the weight of the responsibility we bear to listen to our citizens, to understand them and to work on policies that improve people’s lives. Nicolae Ciucă has constantly demonstrated his ability to do this. Once again leadership matters. Good luck to all.”
Romania holds presidential elections on Nov. 24 with a runoff two weeks later if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote.
President Klaus Iohannis is standing down after serving a maximum two terms.
Popular Bucharest mayor lends his support to Romania’s presidential race
