Romania’s shift towards nationalism will result in exclusion and rejection of global cooperation

Between the 22nd and 24th of November 2024, Romanians all over the world voted in the first round of the presidential elections Though I have a tendency to put things off until the last minute, I made sure to cast my vote on the 24th, but at least I did it early in the morning. I grabbed my ID card, an umbrella and my roommate’s hand, and together we made our way to the polling station located at the fifth floor of the Capital-Flexlabs building. Afterward, we treated ourselves to a coffee to celebrate casting our votes for the first time in a presidential election. As I’m looking at my phone, everyone from back home is texting me. “What do you think will happen?”. I take the question as a joke, since the Social Democratic Party in Romania (PSD), represented by Marcel Ciolacu, has been known for always qualifying in the second round of the presidential elections since its creation. In my mind, the logical question is: Who is going to compete against the social democrats? Is it going to be the centre-right Elena Lasconi or the far-right George Simion? Nobody can tell.

Exit-poll

The exit-poll time is getting closer and closer, and everyone at home is nervously waiting to see what will happen: some of us are watching the news on TV, others online, the rest checking social media constantly. I am sitting alone in my room, trying to keep up with all the information coming in. I get a call from my dad. I pick up. He asks me if I know anything about an independent candidate named Călin Georgescu, the 11th position on the voting ballot. I tell him I have heard of him, as I have seen him on the candidate’s list, but I did not pay much attention to him: he barely registered in national opinion polls, refused debate invitations and was not covered in detail by most news outlets. He tells me he keeps seeing him on TikTok and says that most people on social media would be willing to vote for him, as he is not affiliated with any of the political parties for the elections. I don’t pay great attention to this conversation, in my head it is already clear that the competition is taking place between Ciolacu, Lasconi and Simion.

As the clock hits 8PM in the Netherlands, the first results of the exit-polls are out. Just as predicted, the social-democrat candidate, Marcel Ciolacu, is the frontrunner, followed by the center-right Elena Lasconi. The surprise comes in regards to the person on the third position: Călin Georgescu, the candidate whom my dad mentioned earlier in the day. Nevertheless, I think that figures cannot change much, but I cannot be more wrong. Another hour passes and my sister calls me, saying that Georgescu managed to get into second place, and after a few more minutes, he dethrones Marcel Ciolacu, becoming the frontrunner. The social-democratic party does not make it into the second round for the first time since its creation, as Elena Lasconi wins second place. Marcel Ciolacu resigns. Everyone is shocked. Who is this independent candidate and how did he manage to win against the biggest political party in Romania?

Who is Călin Georgescu?

I think that was the question on everyone’s minds once the counting of the votes was completed. A simple internet search would describe him as 62-year-old independent candidate. Once a member of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), Georgescu is a populist leader, which has been criticised in the past for his extremist affiliations. A fan of Vladimir Putin’s leadership skills, Călin Georgescu represents a threat to the country’s democratic system, due to his populist, radical-right attitudes. His admiration for the interwar founder of the Iron Guard, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, an ultranationalist movement founded in 1927, demonstrates his antisemitic attitudes: the group blamed Jews for Romania’s economic and political difficulties, reflecting similar conspiracy theories popular throughout Europe at the time.

Georgescu ran his political campaign primarily through TikTok, using populist methods meant to attract economically and socially vulnerable citizens. Some of his promises include making Romania self-sufficient, fighting corruption and protecting the country’s sovereignty.

His success can be explained by the fact that people are tired of being treated as second-class citizens, compared to the political elites that have been running the deceitful Romanian government since the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s corrupt authoritarian regime in 1989. In a state where the minimum wage falls short of satisfying basic needs for many, parents are forced to work abroad, in countries such as Italy, Spain and Germany. Children have to grow up alone, perpetuating the cycle of struggle in the next generation to come. Romanians want a change, and they want it now. The empty promises of the existing political parties in power have led to the emergence of politicians such as Călin Georgescu: a person willing to scream loud enough in order to be heard, no matter what he is preaching.

What’s next?

The battle for Romania’s presidency is not yet over. On the 8th of December, Călin Georgescu will face Elena Lasconi in the second round. It is quite difficult to predict who will win, given the social-democrat candidate Marcel Ciolacu, who was expected to easily win the first round, did not advance to the second one. Georgescu secured his place as the frontrunner with 22.9% of the votes, while Lasconi came in second with a narrow voting margin, receiving 19.2% of the votes. Both candidates have a solid probability of winning. The social-democrats congratulated Lasconi on her victory, but have yet to declare which candidate they will be supporting in the second round. This information could be crucial in determining the ultimate results of the presidential elections.

In the case that Călin Georgescu is elected president of Romania, his leadership will bring considerable changes to the country’s political and social stances. Georgescu, an ultranationalist, anti-globalist, and pro-Russian politician, poses a threat to democracy and civil liberties. His shift towards nationalism and sovereignty would result in minority exclusion and rejection of global cooperation.

Eliza Chiritoiu is Bachelor’s student European Studies at the UvA and Romanian citizen.