Far-right populist leads in Romanian presidential vote

A far-right populist took the lead in Romania's presidential election yesterday and will probably face leftist prime minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks, an outcome that rocked the country's political landscape.

- STAFF REPORTERS

Calin Georgescu, who ran independently, led the polls with around 22 per cent of the vote, while Mr Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party, or PSD, trailed at 20 per cent. Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party, or USR, stood at about 18 per cent, and George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, took 14.1 per cent.

After polls closed, 9.4 million people – about 52.4 per cent of eligible voters – had cast ballots, according to the Central Election Bureau. The second round of the vote will be held 8 December.

Thirteen candidates ran for the presidency. The president serves a five-year term and has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security, foreign policy and judicial appointments.

Mr Georgescu, 62, ran independently and was not widely known. He outperformed most local surveys, sending shockwaves through Romania’s political establishment as he ascended to poll position.

After casting his ballot yesterday, Mr Georgescu said in a post on Facebook that he voted “For the unjust, for the humiliated, for those who feel they do not matter and actually matter the most – the vote is a prayer for the nation.”

Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that Mr Georgescu’s unexpected poll performance appears to be a “large protest or revolt against the establishment”.