Romania repeats controversial elections after a more voice canceled

Romanians will try to again election a new president today, six months after the first attempt ended with scandal and confusion.

A radical outsider with mystical slopes Kalin Georgesko came first on November 24, but this result was canceled for allegations in campaign fraud and Russian intervention.

In February, US Vice President J. However, Georgescu was forbidden to participate in today’s repetition.

These elections choose nationalist George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), against three centist: the popular mayor of Bucharest Nikusor Dan; Krin Antonescu, Liberal, who represents the ruling socio-democrats and a national liberal coalition; and Elena Laskoni, independent.

Seven other candidates are on the newsletter. If no candidate win over 50% of the vote, on May 18, there will be a leak between the first two candidates.

“These elections are not for one candidate or another, but for any Romanian who has been deceived, ignored, humiliated and still has the strength to believe and defend our identity and rights,” Simion published on X on Friday.

Public opinion polls – the notoriously unreliable in Romania – suggest that it will come first today, after which he will face a difficult race either with Niscor Dan or with Crin Antonescu in the expiration.

The result is expected nervously in the European capitals, Washington, Kyiv and Moscow. Romania is an important transit route for arms systems and ammunition to Ukraine. The country has a shield for missile defense in the United States in Deveselu and three main airbases, from which NATO flies air missions to the border of Ukraine and Moldova and over the Black Sea.

Ukraine exports 70% of its grain along the Black Sea coast, through Romanian territorial waters to Istanbul. The Romanian Navy demonstrated these waters, and the Romanian Air Force train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16. The Trump administration reassesses its commitment to Romania. The visa visa agreement was abruptly canceled on the eve of the election.

“Forget more help with Ukraine if Simion becomes president,” says George Skutaru, a security expert at the new Strategic Center in Bucharest. As a head of the National Security Council, the President may veto any decision and have a strong influence on security policy. But Scutaru expresses “reasonable optimism” that one of the centerists will win the leak.

The public outrage of Romanian financial support for Ukrainian refugees is a central board in Simion’s campaign, although he denies that he is pro -Russian.

At the May afternoon, crowds of landmarks threw the gardens of the Kotroceni Palace, the presidential residence west of Bucharest. The decision of the temporary president or Bologian to open public buildings and gardens is very popular with visitors.

White and purple irises arrange the paths under the ancient horse chestnuts in a full flower. Military group marks among flower beds from Pansies and violets. The palace is a former monastery transformed in the 17th century, which became the home of the Romanian royal family in the 19th century.

“I can’t really imagine Simion here …” Jonut, a satirical writer, tells me at a richly decorated waterfall, looking at the walls of the palace. He voted for Simion in the first round of the election last November, from anger at the constant delays in Romania’s full membership in the area of ​​free travel in Schengen. And the impotence of Romania’s leaving President Klaus Johannis.

But Romania has finally joined the Schengen lands on January 1, and Johannis stepped away that month. “The Romanians are less angry now,” he believes. He told his daughter that he would vote for Nikusor Dan in these elections, but he did not decide quite.

Anna, a management consultant, walking with his family through the gardens of the palace, also supports Nikur Dan. “I want to vote for continuity and change,” she says. “Continuity in Romania’s relations with Europe, but change in corruption. We young people are no longer treating old parties” – something that Nikusor Dan has to do with Simion.

Many of the big diaspora of Romania – a million have been registered for voting – have already submitted their ballots, especially in Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. They are invisible in public opinion studies and can easily swing the end result.