Latest news with #RomaniaPolitics
Al Jazeera
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Romanians cast ballots in tense presidential run-off
Romanians have begun casting ballots in a tense presidential election run-off that pits a pro-Trump nationalist who opposes military aid to Ukraine against a pro-European Union centrist. Polls opened on Sunday at 7am local time (04:00 GMT) and will close at 9pm (18:00 GMT) in the high-stakes second round of the elections that will impact Romania's geopolitical direction. Hard-right nationalist George Simion, 38, who opposes military aid to neighbouring Ukraine and is critical of EU leadership, decisively swept the first round of the presidential election, triggering the collapse of a pro-Western coalition government. That led to significant capital outflows. Romania's top court annulled the first round results in December over accusations of Russian interference. The court also disqualified leading nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu, making way for Simion, who is a self-proclaimed fan of United States President Donald Trump. Centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, 55, who has pledged to clamp down on corruption and is staunchly pro-EU and NATO, is competing against Simion. He has said Romania's support for Ukraine is vital for its own security against a growing Russian threat. An opinion poll on Friday suggested Dan is slightly ahead of Simion for the first time since the first round in a tight race that will depend on turnout and the sizeable Romanian diaspora. Reporting from the capital, Bucharest, Al Jazeera's Sonia Gallego said this election is being pitched as a battle between nationalist populism and a centralist. 'The reality is that Romania, an EU and NATO member, shares a border with war-torn Ukraine, the longest among EU members. And that also makes it one of the most vulnerable within the bloc,' she said. Some analysts have also warned that online disinformation has been rife again ahead of Sunday's vote. Elena Calistru, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera: 'We have to look at what is happening online. And there we have seen a lot of misinformation.' 'We have seen a lot of … coordinated inauthentic behaviour. We have seen a lot of foreign interference in our elections,' she said. The president of the country has considerable powers, not least being in charge of the defence council that decides on military aid. He will also have oversight of foreign policy, with the power to veto EU votes that require unanimity. Daniela Plesa, 62, a public employee, told the AFP news agency in Bucharest on Friday she wanted a president 'to promote the interests of the country', complaining that 'the European Union demands and demands'. Andreea Nicolescu, 30, working in advertising, said she wished for 'things to calm down a bit' and 'a pro-European president'. Rallies of tens of thousands ahead of the elections have demanded that the country maintain its pro-EU stance. Other protests, also drawing tens of thousands, have condemned the decision to annul last year's vote and the subsequent barring of far-right candidate Georgescu. The cancellation was criticised by the Trump administration, and Simion has said his prime minister pick would be Georgescu, who favours nationalisation and an openness towards Russia. The vote in Romania comes on a day when Poland also votes in the first round of the presidential election, expected to be led by pro-EU Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and conservative historian Karol Nawrocki. Victory for Simion and/or Trzaskowski would expand a cohort of eurosceptic leaders that already includes prime ministers in Hungary and Slovakia amid a political shift in Central Europe that could widen rifts in the EU.
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%.
Free Malaysia Today
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Romanian far-right candidate wins first round of presidential election
Hard-right eurosceptic George Simion decisively swept the ballot with some 41% of votes. (EPA Images pic) BUCHAREST : Romania's Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu faced calls to resign today after a far-right opposition leader won the first round of the presidential election re-run, heightening political uncertainty in the country. Hard-right eurosceptic George Simion decisively swept the ballot, with some 41% of votes, and will face Bucharest mayor, Nicusor Dan, an independent centrist, in a May 18 run-off. A ruling coalition candidate, Crin Antonescu, came third. A Simion victory could isolate Romania, erode private investment and destabilise Nato's eastern flank, where Bucharest plays a key role in providing logistical support to Ukraine as it fights a three-year-old Russian invasion, political observers say. It would also expand a cohort of eurosceptic leaders in the European Union that already includes the Hungarian and Slovak prime ministers at a time when Europe is struggling to formulate its response to US President Donald Trump. Several members of the ruling Liberal and Social Democrat (PSD) parties said the government was no longer viable. 'It is very clear that there must be a government without Marcel Ciolacu because he no longer has legitimacy,' Liberal senior executive and lawmaker Robert Sighiartau told reporters outside party headquarters in Bucharest. Coalition officials are expected to meet later today. Ciolacu rejected the idea of resigning when asked by reporters last night. 'The Social Democrats and the Liberals are in a very tight spot,' Cristian Pirvulescu, a political scientist, said. 'Even if this coalition continues, it will not do so for long, and the risk of fractures within both parties is very high.' The vote underscores simmering anger among vast parts of the Romanian electorate over high living costs and worries over security. Yesterday's vote came five months after a first attempt to hold the election was cancelled because of alleged Russian interference in favour of far-right frontrunner Calin Georgescu, since banned from standing again. Simion has said he could appoint Georgescu prime minister should he win. Romanian international dollar bonds tumbled, with the longest maturities taking the biggest hits. The 2053 maturity fell more than three cents to be last bid at 91.84 cents on the dollar, while the 2051 lost more than two cents. Local bonds also fell in price, with the 10-year local note yield jumping to 8.0%, the highest in more than three months. 'In our view, both Simion and Dan would bring some political instability as neither is linked to the current majority in parliament,' JPMorgan analysts said in a note today. Political risk has increased 'considerably', they added. 'While Simion can be pragmatic, if the Georgescu plan is implemented, then markets are unlikely to react positively,' the note said.
