Will Romania vote take the country from the European mainstream?

When the Romanian presidential election was canceled late last year after allegations of Russian intervention, the far-right conspiracy theoretical was blocked by the highest job.

Many Romanians were deeply relieved; Many others were angry that their voices were stolen.

But six months later, when the country returned to the urn, another hard right Euro-skeptic right was running for president.

George Simion won the first round of the new elections on May 4 with a big margin. Now the former football case, turned into a nationalist politician, is facing Nikur Dan, the Liberal Mayor of Bucharest.

This is a vote that can see Romania, a member of both NATO and the European Union (EU), deviate from the European mainstream.

Both candidates voted on Sunday morning, with Simion saying he voted for the future, “which should be resolved only by Romanians, Romanians and Romania.”

While Dan told reporters that he was voting for “cooperation with our European partners, not for isolation of Romania.”

The polls were too close to call.

Teleman County is one of Romania’s poorest regions and has been a socio-democratic territory for many years. But earlier this month, 57% of the voters here chose Simion as president in the first round of voting.

A few hours of driving southwest from Bucharest, entry into the region is declared blue letters on a rust metal arch above the main road.

The streets are lined with wild poppies, not with posters for candidate campaigns. There are no obvious signs of election.

But social media feed on people’s phones are full of political content.

The last clip to go viral includes the people’s fantasy world of embroidered peaks, prayers and bears and has the slogan “I choose Romania”.

“It was an antisystem, Anti-Minestream Voting,” is so Felicia Alexandru of Aperio Intelligence explains the national tide of support for the final candidate in the first round.

After more than three decades of the same parties dominant in politics, powerlessness has developed from corruption and poor performance.

“People are so dissatisfied with what happened in high -level politics, it’s a vote against it,” says Felicia.

The protest vote is not limited to the most of the most contentious.

The Comalat Dairy Company is not recognizable by the Petre Filip business, started 25 years ago.

Then he will leave at 05:00 every day in his dacia to drive around farms by buying milk. Then, every night, he handed over the cheese and yogurt produced by his three customer workers.

Its old packaging machine is now in the lobby as a reminder of the first days. However, since then, Petre has been provided with 1.5 million euros ($ 1.3 million pounds; $ 1.7 million) in EU funding to modernize and expand its business. This is the money he should never return.

“It was really good for us,” the businessman admires, demonstrating a production line of shiny metal machines in several rooms.

He works more than 50 employees.

“I like George Simion,” Michaela’s staff member announces with a smile as he pulls out liquid from big lumps of cottage cheese cheese.

She delighted when he mentioned the fear in Brussels that he would make relations between EU-Romania very turbulent.

“He is on the side of the Romanians. He is for people. To create jobs and a better life,” replies Michaela.

Simion talks a lot about “turning Romania the Great again,” sounding Mag’s politicians in the United States, who admires. He also has the same isolationist approach: Romania first, in everything.

When pressed, he called Russian President Vladimir Putin a military criminal for his invasion of Ukraine.

But like Donald Trump, he also promised to end Kiev’s military assistance, and he left the future of the vital export of Ukraine’s grain through Romania unclear.

Simion is prohibited by Ukraine and Moldova for calling the territory there to be part of Romania.

In his last outbursts this week, he called his opponent for the “Autist, Poor Man” election.

He also accused French President Emmanuel Macron of having “dictatorial trends”.

Philip says Simion is “too impulsive” to be president, guided by hormones, not his brain. ”

But he is so disappointed with the whole scene that he is inclined not to vote at all.

Right up the road in Rșiori de Vede, they also discuss the elections – and blur.

Roxana manages a factory by making work uniforms, including the military in another EU country.

Her clients call wonders whether Romania is about to vote for a “pro -Russian” president.

“They want to know if their orders are safe!” She laughs.

Roxana herself plans to vote for the people who are referring to his name, Niksor, because she likes how he ruled Bucharest as mayor.

She is also deeply disturbed by what she calls Simion’s “bully” behavior.

“It’s such a bad image for Romania in Europe. I’m ashamed,” Roxana says, recalling Macron’s insults this week.

In another recent incident, Simion has sexually threatened to attack a deputy from a woman, calling her a pig.

“Compare this to a person who won the International Mathematics Olympiad,” Roxana says, citing a competition that Dan won in the 1980s. He continued to take a PhD from the Sorbonne.

Before the vote of the second round Roxana and her girlfriend Andrea, they participated in a base initiative to persuade voters to support Dan.

“I tried to say why Simion’s plan is impossible, but I don’t think I’ve been super successful,” Andrea admits, saying she’s “very worried.”

“I see what people say online and they really believe in Simion and think that it will shake everything and take down the system.

“They think everything is bad, but it’s not.”

Her own candidate Dan is definitely pro-Es and pro-nato, and his campaign’s slogan is “honesty”.

“I don’t promise miracles,” is his modest election bet. “But I promise I’ll fight.”

If this battle fails and Simion wins, he will not be the only hard candidate in Romanian politics.

Much of his support comes from those who originally voted for Kalin George, the figure of fruits, who won the first elections in November before being canceled on national security sites.

The two men often appear side by side since then, and Simion has promised to make the premiere of Georgecu if elected.

It is unclear how this can work, given that he was accused in favor of “massive” and “aggressive” Messi from Moscow.

“If Simion wins, then there will be chaos in Monday politics,” Roxana predicts, including the economy.

“The question is whether he remains in the shadow of Georgescu or completely changing the perspective,” Felicia agrees.

“Is this a campaign strategy or in what he believes in?”