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Reuters
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Poll shows Romanian hard-right and centrist candidates tied ahead of run-off
BUCHAREST, May 13 (Reuters) - Romania's hard-right nationalist George Simion and centrist Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan are neck-and-neck ahead of a May 18 presidential run-off that could have far-reaching consequences for the European Union, an opinion poll suggested on Tuesday. The eurosceptic Simion decisively won the first round of the ballot on May 4, with some 41% of the vote, triggering the resignation of leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the collapse of his pro-Western coalition government, and significant capital outflows. Simion, 38, opposes military aid to neighbouring Ukraine, is critical of the EU leadership and says he is aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement. He has suggested he would veto Brussels military aid to Ukraine, while saying Europe should depend on NATO for its own defence. Dan, 55, running as an independent on an anti-corruption platform, won 21% of the vote in the first round, advocating for continued support for neighbouring Ukraine and alignment with Brussels on key economic and defence issues. Romania's president has a semi-executive role that includes commanding the armed forces and chairing the security council that decides on military aid. The president can also veto important EU votes that require unanimity. The poll conducted by AtlasIntel and commissioned by local news website showed Simion and Dan would each get 48.2% of the vote. It surveyed 3,995 people from May 9-12 and had a margin of error of 2%. The survey did not include the diaspora, where nearly 1 million Romanians voted in the first round, more than 60% of them for Simion. Analysts have said a Simion victory could isolate Romania, erode private investment and destabilise NATO's eastern flank, where Bucharest plays a key role in providing support to Ukraine as it fights a three-year-old Russian invasion. It would also expand a cohort of eurosceptic leaders in the EU that already includes the Hungarian and Slovak prime ministers. An opinion survey conducted by polling institute Verifield and commissioned by Dan last week showed Simion was on course to secure 54.8% of the vote in the run-off to Dan's 45.2%.
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.
RTÉ News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Romania names interim premier as turmoil deepens
Romania's liberal interior minister Catalin Predoiu has become interim premier, the presidency announced, a day after the prime minister's resignation deepened political tumult in the EU nation. Romania's pro-EU Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stepped down yesterday after a far-right candidate topped the first round of a tense presidential vote rerun. Far-right EU critic George Simion topped Sunday's election first round, while the ruling coalition's candidate narrowly lost out to Bucharest's mayor for the second spot. Mr Ciolacu's resignation comes just two weeks ahead of the presidential vote runoff on 18 May in the EU and NATO member, which has gained in strategic importance since Russia invaded Ukraine, neighbouring Romania. Mr Ciolacu said his Social Democrats (PSD) party would leave the ruling coalition but they are expected to remain in the government on an interim basis until after the election run-off. Mr Predoiu, 56, is a former justice minister who already served as interim premier in 2012. Mr Predoiu, who practiced as a lawyer in the past, is also the current interim president of the liberals (PNL). He told reporters yesterday that the liberals have "sworn-in ministers in the government, they will carry out their duties". "As long as these mandates are in office, the PNL does its duty," he said. Closely watched rerun In Sunday's first round, Mr Simion, who leads the nationalist AUR party, gained almost 41% of votes, double the score of the pro-EU Mayor Nicusor Dan, an independent. A far-right victory in the second round - closely watched by Brussels and Washington - could mark a shift in the country's foreign policy. The president represents Romania at EU and NATO summits and can veto EU votes. He also appoints the premier and other government posts. Campaigning on a vow to put Romania first, Mr Simion, a fan of US President Donald Trump, has criticised "Brussels' unelected bureaucrats", accusing them of having meddled in the Romanian elections. In December, Romania's constitutional court in a shock move scrapped the presidential ballot after far-right politician Calin Georgescu unexpectedly won the first round. The annulment followed allegations of Russian interference and a massive TikTok campaign that emerged in favour of Mr Georgescu. Mr Simion has called the annulment "a coup d'etat". Mr Georgescu was barred from the rerun but two major far-right parties decided to back Mr Simion instead.
Saudi Gazette
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Romanian PM resigns and pulls out of coalition after nationalist vote win
BUCHAREST — Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has resigned and his Social Democrat party is to leave the government after a right-wing nationalist candidate won the first round of the presidential election. George Simion, a eurosceptic who has promised to put Romania first, won 40.9% of Sunday's vote and is expected to win a run-off vote on 18 May. He will face liberal Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, who narrowly defeated the Social Democrat (PSD) candidate. Sunday's result plunged Romania — an EU state on Nato's eastern flank — into further political turmoil. Ciolacu told colleagues that as their coalition had failed to meet its objective and "has no legitimacy", they should pull out of the government. Ciolacu, 57, had only come to power in a pro-EU coalition after elections in 2024, although George Simion's far-right party along with two other groupings had attracted a third of the vote. The parties in that coalition had been holding emergency meetings on Monday to decide on their next steps. Simion's victory on Sunday was largely driven by popular frustration at the annulment of presidential elections late last year. His likely success on 18 May is awaited nervously in European capitals, as well as in Kyiv. He has said he wants an EU of strong, sovereign nations and his party has opposed supply weapons to Ukraine. Ciolacu is now expected to submit his resignation to interim president Ilie Bolojan, who will then appoint a caretaker prime minister. Bolojan himself took on the role of interim president last February because of the scandal surrounding the annulment of the presidential vote. "Romania faces up to 45 days of political instability following Marcel Ciolacu's resignation," warned Elena Calistru of independent Romanian monitoring group Funky Citizens. "This creates a dangerous power vacuum precisely when Romania needs steady leadership most." Ciolacu's party was part of a three-party coalition and the prime minister told his colleagues they had come together with the aim of having a joint presidential candidate and a parliamentary majority. "One of these two objectives has failed," he explained. "I've seen the vote from yesterday, and that tells us the current coalition no longer has legitimacy in this form." "In any case, the new president would have replaced me – that's what I've seen and heard from the media. A new coalition will form to govern." Catalin Predoiu, the leader of his liberal coalition partner PNL said they were now looking for a prime minister "capable of addressing the current challenges". Meanwhile, the Social Democrat mayor of of Buzau, to the north-east of Bucharest, was highly critical of his party leaders: "We've embarrassed ourselves, and that's partly because of poor decisions taken over time by the leadership." Georgescu had won last November's first round, which was annulled by the courts after allegations of Russian interference on social media and campaign fraud. Simion cast his vote on Sunday alongside Georgescu, having told voters the election was "about every Romanian who has been lied to, ignored, humiliated, and still has the strength to believe and defend our identity and rights". He has called for restoring Romania's old borders and has been banned from entering Moldova and Ukraine. Political analyst Radu Albu-Comanescu told Romania public radio that Sunday's result was "a radical manifestation of hostility towards the current political establishment". Simion did particularly well with Romania's diaspora voters, polling more than 73% in Spain and almost 65% in the UK among a broadly blue-collar electorate. Public resentment at Romanian financial support for Ukrainian refugees has been a central plank in Simion's campaign, though he denies he is pro-Russian. "Russia is the biggest danger towards Romania, Poland and the Baltic states, the problem is this war is not going anywhere," he told the BBC. Elena Calistru said Romania was witnessing a remarkable political reset as both Simion and Nicușor Dan had positioned themselves as anti-establishment candidates with wildly different solutions. "The outcome will reveal whether anti-establishment sentiment necessarily translates to anti-European positioning, or if Romania can channel its desire for change into constructive democratic renewal," she said. — BBC
Hans India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu announces resignation
Bucharest: Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation at the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). The announcement comes as Romania's ruling PSD declared its decision to withdraw from the governing coalition. "One of the two objectives of the governing coalition was not achieved, which means that the governing coalition lacks legitimacy - at least in its current composition," Ciolacu said on Monday, referencing the fallout after the first round of Romania's presidential election rerun on Sunday. Crin Antonescu, the presidential candidate representing the governing coalition, failed to secure a spot in the second-round runoff scheduled for May 18, according to Xinhua news agency. While the transition is underway, Social Democratic Party ministers will remain in their positions temporarily as discussions continue with coalition partners - the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) - to establish interim governance arrangements, according to Ciolacu. Interim President Ilie Bolojan formally acknowledged Ciolacu's resignation on Monday. According to a statement from the Presidential Administration, an interim Prime Minister will be appointed on Tuesday. The interim cabinet may remain in place for up to 45 days, during which a new government must be formed. During this period, the interim cabinet is authorised only to manage routine public affairs until the newly appointed government members are sworn in. The outgoing coalition, established in December 2024, comprised the Social Democratic Party, National Liberal Party, UDMR, and representatives of Romania's national minorities.
