Keep the European course and continue supporting Ukraine or turning to the extreme right: Romania chooses its president on Sunday, May 18, a battle that promises to be tight, five months after the spectacular cancellation of a contaminated vote of Russian interference suspicions.
The electoral centers opened at 7 am (local time) this morning for the second round of a presidential election that promises to be tight. He arrived widely at the top of the first round on May 4, the leader of the Nationalist Party Aur, George Simion, 38, faces Mayor Proeuropeo de Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, 55, to win the supreme position, endowed with the power to appoint key positions and participate in the EU and NTO summits.
The international community is closely monitored the election, Brussels cares about seeing that the ranks of the leaders very well expand and Washington, very critical of the ballot the past fall, asking to respect the voice of the people.
The EU loyal member, Romania, a nation of 19 million inhabitants close to Ukraine, has become an essential Pilar of NATO since the beginning of the Russian offensive in 2022. “We cannot afford to rule out the European route”, comments in Bucharest Luminita Toader, an 82 -year -old retirement, who fears that his country becomes this. “
Key mobilization in the outcome of the choice
The former hooligan who tried to soften his speech in recent months, George Simion says he is convinced that he will be “the next president of Romania.” Except in the case of “mass fraud,” he warned, racing the way for a dispute in case of a defeat. However, this detractor of “EU absurd policies” could suffer a series of “false passes” in the interwar period, between “aggressiveness” and the absence of many debates, according to analysts.
His opponent, a training mathematician, has expected a beginning of the abstentionists, after a first round marked by a participation rate of only 53%. In the diaspora that began to vote on Friday, the figures show a strong mobilization.
“I invite Romanians to vote because, on each of us, it depends on Romania’s trajectory,” said kyiv convinced and fervent support in the elections.
While George Simion wants to put an end to Ukraine’s help: it requires “financial compensation” for the assistance provided so far and defends “neutrality, not climbing sending weapons”, while defending himself from being “Vladimir Putin’s friend.”
Make his “dignity” to Romania: his slogan seduces many voters tired to be considered as second -class citizens in the EU. Very present in social networks, even if he closed his main accounts on Saturday for “one day of silence”, he capitalized his frustration against the “politicians of the thieves” in power since 1989 and his anger before the economic difficulties of one of the poorest countries in the EU.
Romania, “hate” and “divisions” prey
An explosive climate that had already brought the extreme right first on November 24: an almost unknown, Calin Georgescu, had created the surprise after a massive campaign on Tiktok whose mode of operation pointed to Russia. Since then, this former official has been accused and excluded from this new career, a decision that caused sometimes violent demonstrations.
Despite these setbacks, he aspires to the prime minister that George Simion promised him if he is chosen, provided it is a sufficient majority in Parliament.
The winner will have the difficult task to reconcile Romania extremely polarized. “How do we end up being animated therefore hate and divisions?” He launched the mayor of Bucharest to his followers during the campaign, asking for “reconstruction of hope.”
Although it is attacked by its reserved naturalness, “this personality trait could be paradoxically an asset for him. In a very agitated period, a little calm made the difference, especially in front of such a virulent competitor,” said political scientist Sorin Curai.
Source: BFM TV
