Latest news with #anti-Ukraine
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nicusor Dan sworn in as Romania's new president
Nicusor Dan was sworn in as Romania's president on May 26 in a formal ceremony before Parliament, pledging to be "a president open to the voice of society," Romanian news outlet Digi24 reported. Pro-EU centrist and then-Bucharest Mayor Dan won the Romanian presidential election on May 18, defeating the far-right, anti-Ukraine George Simion with 53.6% of the votes. During the ceremony, Dan took the constitutional oath with his hand on the Bible and the Constitution, vowing to serve the Romanian people and uphold the rule of law. In his address to lawmakers following the oath, Dan thanked citizens for their engagement in recent political debates, regardless of their stance. "Society has shown that it is alive and strong," Dan said, adding: "I invite you to continue your civic involvement and apply pressure on the Romanian state to reform." Dan's inauguration marks the end of the interim term of Ilie Bolojan, who had served as Romania's acting president since the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis in February. The inauguration was blessed by Patriarch Daniel, head of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Marian Enache, president of the Constitutional Court, confirmed the legitimacy of Dan's mandate, urging him to be "the president of all Romanians," including those who did not vote for him. Simion, head of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians who has been banned from entering Ukraine, decided to contest his loss, filing an appeal to annul the election results with Romania's Constitutional Court. The court unanimously rejected the appeal as "unfounded." The election took place against the backdrop of Romania's previous presidential vote in November 2024, which was annulled after credible evidence of foreign interference, including pro-Russian disinformation efforts. That first round of the annulled election was won by ultranationalist Calin Georgescu, known for promoting conspiracy theories and questioning Ukraine's sovereignty. Dan's victory is seen as a positive signal for Romania's continued pro-Ukraine and pro-European direction. President Volodymyr Zelensky has already extended an invitation for Dan to visit Kyiv for high-level talks. Read also: Romania's new president faces daunting challenges after surprise victory over far-right upstart We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Far-right candidate Simion contests Romanian election loss, alleges foreign interference
George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), announced on May 20 that he will appeal the results of the May 18 presidential election, despite conceding defeat to pro-EU candidate Nicusor Dan. Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, secured 53.6% of the vote in the runoff, defeating Simion's 46.4%, according to Romania's electoral authority. The result signals a rejection of Simion's anti-Ukraine, nationalist platform and comes amid renewed scrutiny of foreign influence in Romanian politics. "I officially ask the Constitutional Court to annul the Romanian presidential elections for the same reasons the December elections were annulled: external interferences by state and non-state actors," Simion wrote on X. Simion cited a post from Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who claimed a "Western European government" asked the company to restrict "conservative voices in Romania." "The testimony of the founder of Telegram... is revealing. I demand his testimony before the elections are recognized as valid," Simion said, also accusing Moldova of facilitating "electoral tourism" that unfairly benefited his opponent. Romania's previous presidential election, held in November 2024, was annulled by the Constitutional Court following evidence of foreign manipulation, including pro-Russian disinformation campaigns. That vote was won by populist candidate Calin Georgescu, who openly promoted conspiracy theories and described Ukraine as a "fictional state." Join our community Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Support Us Simion has faced criticism throughout the campaign for pro-Kremlin rhetoric and repeated calls for Ukraine to compensate Romania for its aid. During a May 8 debate, he argued, "Ukraine needs us, we don't need Ukraine," and labeled the donation of a Patriot missile system to Kyiv as "national treason." In contrast, Dan has pledged to continue Romania's support for Ukraine, strengthen ties with the EU, and uphold democratic institutions. Following the vote, President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Dan in a call on May 19. "We respect Romania and the choice of the Romanian people. This is a country on which much depends when it comes to security issues," Zelensky posted on X. "It is important that support for Ukraine continues." Bucharest has played a critical role in Ukraine's defense, signing a bilateral security pact with Kyiv, facilitating grain exports, and providing key air defense systems. Zelensky invited Dan to Ukraine for talks, noting the "nearest opportunities for us to meet." The Center for Local Politics (CPL), a domestic Romanian organization aligned with Georgescu's campaign, said it had launched legal procedures to contest the election. Read also: Romania's new president faces daunting challenges after surprise victory over far-right upstart We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
France 24
19-05-2025
- Business
- France 24
Elon Musk's tweets: Investigating the billionaire's anti-European rhetoric
The Observers 05:34 The FRANCE 24 Observers collaborated with France Info and Belgium's RTBF to analyse the rhetoric of Elon Musk, one of Trump's closest advisers. This two-part investigation, conducted by the Médias Francophones Publics, examines the X owner's social media posts, documenting how the billionaire is propagating anti-Ukraine sentiment and posting tweets in support of the European far right.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poland heads to runoff between pro-EU Trzaskowski and Eurosceptic Nawrocki
Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski narrowly led Poland's presidential election on May 18, according to exit polls, but failed to secure an outright victory. He will face conservative Karol Nawrocki in a second-round runoff on June 1. Trzaskowski, a senior figure in Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Platform (PO) party, won 30.8% of the vote, the exit poll showed, according to BBC. Nawrocki, a historian backed by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, came in second with 29.1%, setting the stage for a closely contested runoff as no candidate among the 13 contenders passed the 50% threshold. Speaking to supporters at a rally in Sandomierz, southern Poland, Trzaskowski said: "We're going to win," but acknowledged that victory would require "a lot of work and great determination." He added, "I'm convinced that all Poland will win." Trzaskowski has pledged to work with Tusk's coalition government to liberalize Poland's strict abortion laws and to push forward long-stalled judicial reforms, which were previously blocked under the PiS-led government. Despite leading the polls in the lead-up to the vote, Trzaskowski underperformed expectations, which had placed him 4–6 points ahead of Nawrocki, according to BBC. His campaign now faces the challenge of consolidating centrist and center-left support, including from junior coalition parties such as the Left and the conservative Third Way. Nawrocki, relatively unknown nationally before being endorsed by the PiS party, has seen his profile rise throughout the campaign. Addressing his supporters in Gdansk, he warned that Tusk must be stopped from gaining "total power in Poland." He urged voters who backed far-right candidates Slawomir Mentzen (15.4%) and Grzegorz Braun (6.2%) to rally behind him in the second round to "save Poland" from Tusk's influence. While Poland's presidency is largely ceremonial, the role carries veto power. With Tusk's coalition lacking the parliamentary majority to override a presidential veto, the outcome of the runoff will determine whether the government can move forward with key reforms. Read also: Nicusor Dan wins Romanian presidential election, defeating anti-Ukraine Simion We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nicusor Dan wins Romanian presidential election, defeating anti-Ukraine Simion
Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Pro-EU candidate Nicusor Dan won the Romanian presidential election on May 18, defeating the far-right, anti-Ukraine George Simion. With over 90% of the votes counted, Dan won Sunday's runoff by a margin of 53.8% to Simion's 46.2%, according to Romania's election authority. The result comes as a relief for Ukraine, who faced the loss of a key ally in the event of a Simion victory. Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), championed a Euroskeptic platform that included ending military aid for Ukraine. "Ukraine needs us, we don't need Ukraine," Simion said during a televised debate on May 8. Simion is banned from entering both Ukraine and neighboring Molodova due to his anti-Ukrainian stance. Dan, an independent centrist and the current mayor of Bucharest, supports aid to Ukraine, calling it "essential for the security of Romania." Despite exit polls clearly predicting a victory for Dan, Simion declared himself the president of Romania in a post on social media. Polls showed the two candidates neck-and-neck in the days leading up to the runoff election, with an AtlasIntel survey on May 13 placing both at 48.2%. The current election follows the annulment of the first round in November 2024, which Romania's Constitutional Court invalidated due to evidence of foreign interference. That round was won by populist Calin Georgescu, who openly promoted conspiracy theories and supported Russia, calling Ukraine a "fictional state" and predicting its partition as "inevitable." Romania then held first-round elections on May 4, which Simion won with nearly 41% of the votes. His victory triggered the resignation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Romania has provided Ukraine with crucial defense and humanitarian suppor throughout Russia's full-scale war. The country donated a U.S.-made Patriot missile system in 2024 and signed a bilateral security agreement with Kyiv. Bucharest has also played a crucial role in the transit of Ukrainian agricultural exports amid Russia's threats to the Black Sea maritime trade. Read also: Poland, Romania presidential elections held amid Russian interference, far-right surge — what you need to know We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
