You could hear the sounds of jaws dropping in the European corridors of power last Sunday when the startling result of the first round of Romania's presidential election was announced. Defying all opinion poll projections the far-right candidate, Calin Georgescu, topped the first round having ran on an explicitly anti-NATO, anti-EU and anti-Ukrainian platform. The strong showing of Georgescu, who has no party of his own and campaigned largely on the social media platform Tik Tok, was without precedent since Romania shed communism in 1989. Even more surprising was that Georgescu polled only around 5 percent in the run-up to the election, having barely registered in earlier polls.
Observers were astonished when the leaders of the two largest parties, the leftish Social Democrats and centre-right Liberals, currently in a coalition government, were eliminated in the first round as voters shunned established parties. Romania is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and with parliamentary elections today and the second round of the presidential election on 8 December, the voters' choice could have a profound effect not only on the future of Romania but, critically even the future of Europe and the North Atlantic Alliance.
A strategically-placed nation of 19 million people, the largest country in southeastern Europe, Romania borders Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to the east, and shares a 400 mile border with Ukraine. Until now, Romania has played a supportive role in the West's backing for Ukraine as it holds out against the forces of Russia's Vladimir Putin in its fight to retain its freedom. The opening of the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta gave Ukraine a vital route to ship its grain exports out and receive military supplies in.
Denne historien er fra December 01, 2024-utgaven av The Sunday Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 01, 2024-utgaven av The Sunday Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
TRANSFORMING WASTE INTO RESOURCES: COCA-COLA'S MAIDAAN SAAF CAMPAIGN
Coca-Cola has taken the initiative to spearhead sustainability initiatives at Maha Kumbh 2025.
JSW MG Motor India Partners With Kotak Mahindra Prime
JSW MG Motor India today announced its partnership with KMPL to offer a finance solution for its innovative Battery-As-AService (BaaS) ownership program to EV customers.
USIBC URGES NEW U.S. GOVT TO PRIORITISE TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH INDIA
The US-India Business Council (USIBC) has urged the incoming Trump administration in US to prioritise reciprocal trade agreements with India, particularly in defence, digital services and pharmaceuticals among others.
FIU-IND and NHB sign MoU for enhanced coordination
The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) and the National Housing Bank (NHB) on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as part of continued coordinated efforts in effective implementation of requirements of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Rules framed thereunder in New Delhi.
A time for purification
The Maha Kumba Mela is probably the world's greatest event.
SEBI extends timeline for ESG rating review post BRSR publication
To promote ease of doing business, markets regulator Sebi on Friday provided relaxation in the timeline for review of ESG rating following the publication of Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR).
How to identify Ponzi schemes
Imagine a world where your money works for you, effortlessly multiplying while you sleep. You hear whispers of investment opportunities that promise sky-high returns—50%, 100%, or even more— all with minimal risk.
Brokerages gave thumbs up to RIL 3Q FY25 results
Reliance Industries Ltd.(RIL) delivered a robust performance in the third quarter of FY25, with analysts across major financial institutions highlighting better-than-expected strong recovery in its Retail and Oil-to-Chemicals (02C) businesses.
An archaic foundation of the Kumbh Mela
In essence, the templating for the Tanunaptra comprises a particular event wherein the Gods came together to convocate and to share, Each drawing from T 'most valued' 'strengths' or 'capacities' to make Their 'best contribution', with all of these being 'pooled together' ('Mela', we might suggest) to produce a sing potency far grander than could be conceived of through unlinked individual expressings.
Cosmography of the Kumbh Mela
The word 'kumbh', vase or recipient that holds the nectar of immortality, has survived in other Indo-European languages such as French, where a 'combe' is a high valley in which flows a river.
