Latest news with #Antonescu
Euronews
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Romanian prime minister resigns amid ruling coalition's post-presidential election fallout
ADVERTISEMENT Marcel Ciolacu resigned as Romanian prime minister on Monday, a day after the ruling big tent coalition candidate Crin Antonescu failed to secure a spot in the presidential election runoff. Ciolacu already offered his resignation last December after not qualifying for the second round of the embattled, cancelled elections, which saw ultranationalist candidate Calin Georgescu come from nowhere to win the first round. On Sunday, the big tent coalition — which included Ciolacu's centre-left PSD, liberal party PNL and the Hungarian minority party UDMR/RMDSZ — failed to inspire Romanians to back Antonescu in the first round of the presidential vote repeat after the unprecedented scandal of the annulled elections in December, caused significant upheaval within the bloc. The PSD's current crop of ministers has decided to leave the government together with Ciolacu, following accusations that they did not do enough to help Antonescu secure the top position. By Sunday night, the liberals had already blamed the PSD for not doing enough to mobilise their voters across the country, especially in rural areas, to throw their weight behind Antonescu. According to Euronews Romania sources, PNL asked the sitting prime minister to resign in favour of interim President Ilie Bolojan, further fracturing the alliance. Related Simion's Romanian presidential election win sets stage for runoff thriller Nearly 40% of Romanian voters remain undecided ahead of presidential election While the PSD ministers will stay in office in the interim period of 45 days, Bolojan will now have to nominate a new prime minister, which will have to get the approval of the Romanian parliament. On Sunday evening, nationalist candidate George Simion won the first round of Romania's presidential election with some 40.5% of the vote. In a late-night political thriller, the official count saw the outsider independent candidate Nicușor Dan come into second place and the run-off, knocking Antonescu out of the race — a result shocking the traditional political establishment in the EU and NATO member state. Pre-election polls all favoured Simion to win the first round. However, the result by Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, sent a clear message to the ruling coalition, which rallied behind Antonescu as the main party's candidate. On Monday, PSD decided not to back either of the two candidates in the runoff. Meanwhile, PNL announced it voted unanimously to support Dan in the vote, which was set to be held in two weeks' time.
Reuters
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Romanian writers, filmmakers call for pro-European presidential vote
BUCHAREST, May 2 (Reuters) - Dozens of leading writers, filmmakers and historians in Romania have written an open letter calling for voters to back a pro-European candidate against the far-right frontrunner in Sunday's re-run of Romania's presidential election. The letter criticised "extremist" candidates without naming them, and was a clear attempt to persuade Romanians to turn out against rightwinger George Simion, who leads opinion polls for the first round ahead of two pro-European centrists. The top two candidates would face a run-off on May 18. "Romanian society has lost its confidence in politics," the letter said. "Electing a president who is honest, credible, involved, pro-European and oriented towards substantial reforms, one who is not indebted to corrupt or extremist parties, is the first step out of the crisis." Sunday's vote is being held five months after an original ballot was cancelled because of accusations of Russian interference, denied by Moscow, in favour of another far-right candidate, who won that first round and is now barred from standing. "We should start fearing again the horrendous failure that Romania can suffer if we have an anti-European president after May 18," one of the signatories, writer Radu Vancu, told Reuters. "With Simion as president Romania risks losing (its relevance in) the European Union, which is its best period in its entire history," Vancu said. Simion opposes military aid to neighbouring Ukraine, is critical of the European Union's leadership and has supported U.S. President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement. His main election rivals are former senator Crin Antonescu and Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan. Antonescu, 65, is backed by the three parties in the current pro-Western government. Dan, 55, is running as an independent on an anti-corruption platform. Both are pro-EU and NATO and back Ukraine. A survey conducted by polling institute AtlasIntel and commissioned by news website showed on Friday Simion was leading with 30.2% of votes, while Antonescu had 24.3% and Dan 22.4%. The poll surveyed 3,247 people from April 28 to May 1 and had a 2% error margin.
Straits Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Romanian writers, filmmakers call for pro-European presidential vote
BUCHAREST - Dozens of leading writers, filmmakers and historians in Romania have written an open letter calling for voters to back a pro-European candidate against the far-right frontrunner in Sunday's re-run of Romania's presidential election. The letter criticised "extremist" candidates without naming them, and was a clear attempt to persuade Romanians to turn out against rightwinger George Simion, who leads opinion polls for the first round ahead of two pro-European centrists. The top two candidates would face a run-off on May 18. "Romanian society has lost its confidence in politics," the letter said. "Electing a president who is honest, credible, involved, pro-European and oriented towards substantial reforms, one who is not indebted to corrupt or extremist parties, is the first step out of the crisis." Sunday's vote is being held five months after an original ballot was cancelled because of accusations of Russian interference, denied by Moscow, in favour of another far-right candidate, who won that first round and is now barred from standing. "We should start fearing again the horrendous failure that Romania can suffer if we have an anti-European president after May 18," one of the signatories, writer Radu Vancu, told Reuters. "With Simion as president Romania risks losing (its relevance in) the European Union, which is its best period in its entire history," Vancu said. Simion opposes military aid to neighbouring Ukraine, is critical of the European Union's leadership and has supported U.S. President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement. His main election rivals are former senator Crin Antonescu and Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan. Antonescu, 65, is backed by the three parties in the current pro-Western government. Dan, 55, is running as an independent on an anti-corruption platform. Both are pro-EU and NATO and back Ukraine. A survey conducted by polling institute AtlasIntel and commissioned by news website showed on Friday Simion was leading with 30.2% of votes, while Antonescu had 24.3% and Dan 22.4%. The poll surveyed 3,247 people from April 28 to May 1 and had a 2% error margin. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Irish Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
The centrists battling to stop Romania's far-right surge
Pro-European centrists are battling for second place in Romania 's upcoming presidential elections, in a bid to thwart a far-right victory that would further destabilise the European Union and Nato member state. For the first time since the fall of communism, a Maga-style ultranationalist has a comfortable lead in opinion polls ahead of Sunday's election rerun, five months after the vote was annulled due to alleged Russian meddling. George Simion, who is campaigning to 'Make Romania Great Again' and has previously questioned the merits of EU and Nato membership, is polling at about 34 per cent – well below the 50 per cent threshold needed to win outright. That leaves room for a centrist challenger in the May 18th run-off to block his path to the presidency. 'Populism and isolationism' were putting Romania's pro-western orientation at risk, centrist candidate Crin Antonescu said. He called his nationalist rivals 'impostors' and 'cardboard figures' who were unable to defend Romania's international interests. READ MORE A 65-year-old former liberal senator who came back from political retirement in December, Antonescu is playing up his leadership skills after having briefly served as president in 2012 during impeachment proceedings against then-president Traian Basescu. Antonescu, who is running on behalf of the three government coalition parties, is polling neck and neck with another pro-EU centrist, Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan. According to surveys published by FlashData earlier this week, Antonescu would win a run-off against Simion. Dan has also described the country's foreign policy orientation the 'most important thing at stake after this election', adding that only himself or Antonescu would guarantee the country's continued commitment to the EU and Nato. Populists such as Simion, said Dan, 'may try to emulate [US president Donald] Trump, but they copy Russian narratives in Romania ... They were always against supporting Ukraine during the war.' The FlashData scenarios mapped out on Monday showed that Antonescu was likely to win the run-off against Simion, but that Dan would have difficulties beating the far-right candidate in the second round. Siegfried Mureșan, a centre-right Romanian MEP whose party supports Antonescu, said Dan's supporters were likely to swing behind Antonescu in the second round – but the reverse was less certain. Some of Antonescu's voters, he warned, might be more drawn to Simion than to Bucharest's mayor. 'Simion is qualifying for the run-off and will be an anti-EU candidate,' Mureșan said. 'The question is who will be the pro-EU candidate and how to help him succeed.' Simion's popularity soared after he took over the baton from Calin Georgescu, a fringe pro-Putin nationalist who surprisingly topped the elections last November after having polled in the low single digits. Romanian declassified intelligence reports pointed to Russia having orchestrated a sophisticated social media campaign in favour of Georgescu, who was subsequently barred from running again. The self-proclaimed 'president-elect' who performed a Nazi salute after being questioned by prosecutors is under investigation for illegal campaign financing and attempts to overthrow the constitutional order with the help of fascist groups. Another Maga-style candidate, former prime minister Victor Ponta, has lost traction in surveys after having briefly polled second earlier in the race. Elena Lasconi, a pro-EU centrist who made it into the run-off against Georgescu last year, is even further behind and has come under pressure from her own party to drop out and back Dan. Dan (55) is a trained mathematician turned anti-corruption activist who won the mayorship of the Romanian capital as an independent for a second time last year. After having put his name forward in December, Dan failed to garner the support of the ruling parties. But he has secured the backing of his old party, the centrist opposition Union Save Romania, which withdrew its support from Lasconi. Dan has faced scrutiny over his campaign finances and alleged Russia links of some people in his entourage, which were later debunked. Antonescu also had to fend off what he described as a smear campaign about a statement he gave in his youth for the communist secret police, who had asked him about a childhood friend who had fled abroad. Antonescu said such statements were commonplace before the fall of communism in 1989 and that he did not include anything that could have hurt his friend or his family. The official archives of the Securitate, the communist secret services, found no evidence of him having collaborated with the secret police. Antonescu said that if elected president he would work with the government to reset US relations that have come under strain after the Trump administration criticised Bucharest for annulling last year's vote. 'There are many areas of common interest between Romania and the US,' he said, citing the energy and defence sectors, with America's significant military presence at Romanian bases near the Black Sea coast. Romania plans to boost its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP from next year, in line with what Nato's new target is expected to be after Trump pressured European allies to spend more for their own security. Ion M Ionița, an independent Romanian analyst and historian, noted that the level of dissatisfaction with the political class was difficult to map out in surveys, which meant that the outcome of this election was still highly unpredictable. 'We don't know how the anti-establishment vote will come out,' he said, noting that in November Georgescu won 23 per cent of the votes even though he had polled in the single digits just a few weeks prior to the election. 'The protest [vote] could upend our calculations.' − Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Factbox-Who are the main contenders in Romania's presidential election re-run?
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanians vote in the first round of a presidential election on Sunday, with a second round run-off expected to be held on May 18. There are 11 candidates vying for the presidency, whose powers include oversight of foreign policy and defence spending. These are the main contenders: GEORGE SIMION The 38-year-old leader of the radical right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR) leads in opinion polls. He opposes military aid to Ukraine, is critical of the European Union's leadership and a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump. He has supported restoring Romania to its 1940 borders, which include territories now in Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine, and is banned from entering the latter two. A conservative Christian, he supported a failed 2018 referendum to change Romania's constitution to prevent same-sex couples from ever being able to marry. Election authorities are looking into his campaign funding after he reported zero funds spent on online promotion despite evidence of paid content on social media platforms. He is also under scrutiny for potentially breaching privacy rules after Romanian pensioners were sent a letter on his behalf. CRIN ANTONESCU The 65-year-old former leader of the ruling coalition Liberal Party became a lawmaker in 1992 and has held political positions throughout his career until he retired from politics a decade ago. He is backed by the leftist Social Democrats (PSD), his Liberals and the ethnic Hungarian party which make up Romania's pro-western coalition government. In 2012, alongside Victor Ponta, another presidential candidate who was then prime minister and PSD leader, Antonescu attempted to overthrow then centrist President Traian Basescu, which raised concerns over the rule of law in Brussels. Antonescu briefly served as interim president but the impeachment referendum against Basescu ultimately failed. After retiring from politics, Antonescu lived in Brussels with his wife Adina Valean, a member of the European Parliament who served as the EU's transport commissioner. Antonescu supports increase defence spending and supporting Ukraine while remaining firmly anchored in the EU and NATO. He supports the introduction of civil unions for same-sex couples. NICUSOR DAN Dan, 55, is a two-term mayor of capital Bucharest running as an independent centrist on an "Honest Romania" ticket with a staunch pro-EU and NATO stance. The French-educated mathematician turned to activism to protect heritage buildings in the capital Bucharest before entering politics. He is campaigning on an anti-corruption ticket, eliminating red tape and merit-based reform of public administration. He has been criticised for his relationship with businessman Mihai Paun, a longtime collaborator. Paun has in the past praised Russian President Vladimir Putin on social media and has had business dealings in Belarus and Russia. Dan supports increasing defence spending to 3.5% of economic output in stages by 2030, from just over 2% in 2024, and supports Ukraine. VICTOR PONTA Ponta, 52, is a former leftist prime minister whose politics have turned ultranationalist. Ponta, who quit as prime minister in 2015 after a deadly nightclub fire, and whose first presidential bid in 2014 was thwarted by his government's bureaucratic hurdles to voting by Romanians abroad, has said he backs what he calls "radical change" taking place in the United States. He said he would support increasing Romanian defence spending to over 3% of economic output in 2026. He does not support the introduction of civil unions for same sex couples. ELENA LASCONI The 52-year-old mayor of the town of Campulung, in central Romania, Lasconi was the runner-up in the presidential election that was cancelled in December over accusations of Russian meddling in favour of the far-right frontrunner Calin Georgescu. Lasconi has since lost support in opinion surveys. Executive members of her own party, the centre-right opposition Save Romania Union (USR), have withdrawn support for her in favour of Dan. Lasconi believes in increasing defence spending and helping Ukraine. She has called the election cancellation a coup. She supports civil unions for same-sex couples, although she opposes legalizing marriage. (Compiled by Luiza Ilie, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
