Before the first round of presidential elections, Calin Georgescu was considered one of the ‘also rans.’
The independent candidate didn’t have a party behind him, didn’t take part in televised debates, didn’t have posters, or even have a campaign office. It is unclear how he funded his phenomenally successful campaign.
So to say that it was a surprise when Georgescu took first place in the polls in Romania’s presidential election on Sunday with nearly 23% of the vote is something of an understatement.
“Tonight Romanians cried peace,” he said after results were released, in the serious, dramatic tone he uses for interviews.
Not only did he outperform most local surveys and shock the political establishment, but he could upend Romania’s reputation as a solid ally on the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union.
Who is he?
The 62-year-old previously studied at the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest and the city’s National Defense College.
He worked as a university professor, in the country’s environment ministry and represented Romania on the national committee of the United Nations Environment Program.
Despite not being widely known, Georgescu is not a total stranger to politics. He was put forward a possible prime minister in waiting in 2011 (when I interviewed him), in 2012 and 2016. The nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) proposed him as their candidate for premier prime ministerial candidate twice, once in 2020 and once in 2021.
The party apparently changed their mind after Georgescu publicly praised Nazi-allied former Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu. Romania’s General Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal case against him for his comments, accusing him of promoting “people guilty of genocide.”
He is also a sympathizer of the Legion of the Archangel Michael or the Legionnaire Movement, a fascist and anti-Semitic organization active in Romania in the interwar period and early in the Second World War. The movement perpetrated violent actions against the Romanian state and some of its leaders.
But despite the probe, the Constitutional Court did not ban him for running unlike hard-right firebrand, Diana Sosoaca who had no conviction.
What’s his manifesto?
Georgescu opposes support for Ukraine and has cast doubt on the country’s NATO’s membership, claiming the military alliance would not defend Romania if the country was attacked.
He has called Russian President Vladimir Putin one of the world’s few true leaders “who loves his country” and has expressed his admiration for Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán’s “negotiating” skills.
Echoing Putin, he has called NATO’s ballistic missile defense shield in Romania confrontational rather than a defensive measure. A poker faced Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday said Moscow had never heard of him.
At home, he wants Romania to decrease imports and supports farmers to increase domestic production of food and energy.
But where did he come from?
Georgescu campaigned skillfully under the radar and is strong on TikTok where he has 3.4 million likes. Videos show him attending church, bathing in icy water,running, and speaking on podcasts_in Putin style politics.
Political analysts say that the unexpected result is a protest against the political establishment which is seen as out of touch with ordinary Romanians.
It’s unclear how polls failed to spot his rise, though.
And now?
Romania will hold a runoff for the top job on 8 December. In between, the country holds parliamentary elections in which the nationalists are expected to do well.
Romania’s president serves a five-year term, is in charge of foreign policy, represents the country at NATO and European Union summits and appoints top prosecutors and the head of the intelligence agencies.
Dan Perry in Bucharest: Romania votes amid minimal drama (and concerns about appeasing Russia)
