Romanians vote in cliffhanger election as tensions continue to rise
Romanians are out to elect their president on Sunday in a cliffhanger election that has transfixed and polarised the country, with both candidates running neck and neck in the latest polls.
Most Romanians see today's choice as probably the most important vote in Romania's post-communist history. The first hours of voting showed significant turnout both in the country and in the diaspora, a sign of the huge stakes for the future direction of NATO's Eastern flank, Euronews Romania reports.
The vote in the diaspora has doubled compared to the first round, while in Romania, the urban voters and the youth have already surpassed their first-round participation.
As vote participation is now the decisive election factor, at 12 pm CEST, the historic 1 million votes in the diaspora, including the Republic of Moldova, had been cast.
Centrist independent candidate Nicușor Dan voted with his wife in his tranquil Transylvanian hometown of Fagaras. He represents the current pro-EU, pro-NATO course, saying he voted for 'a pro-European direction and for good cooperation with our European partners, and not for Romania's isolation.'
Hard-right nationalist candidate George Simion went to vote outside Bucharest with his now-choice for future prime minister, ultranationalist Calin Georgescu, the protagonist of the unprecedented annulled elections and the ensuing political crisis in December.
In a talk show on Friday, Simion and Georgescu concluded the campaign side by side to outline their potential doctrines ahead. With Georgescu calling Simion 'George' and 'my protégé', and Simion addressing him as 'Mister Georgescu, from whom I have learned a lot,' the political couple said they will prioritise good relations with the United States.
'We do everything with them, but we also have China, Russia, and Brazil," Georgescu said.
"It is unimaginable not to have substantive, non-collegial relationships of minimal respect. We have catching up to do in terms of absorption of EU funds. So far, we have not attracted EU money because of incompetence at the state level.'
Simion proclaimed that 'we will not withdraw from any alliance and we will cooperate, as Mister Georgescu says, this is our foreign policy, with all the states of the world.' Repeating a constant reassurance of his campaign, given EU-wide concerns, Simion proclaimed, " We will not withdraw from any alliance.'
After voting on Sunday morning outside Bucharest surrounded by multiple bodyguards and supporters, Simion said he voted against 'against the inequities and humiliations to which our sisters and brothers have been subjected here, in the current borders, and everywhere."
"I voted against abuses and against poverty, I voted against those who disregard us all. But I also voted for our future," Simion added.
Simion and Georgescu were asked by police to leave the polling station when they were about to address the media next to the voting booths, as the law forbids campaigning inside. The social media videos show Simion saying, 'Thank you, mister policeman does not want us to take the media,' before moving outside for the media statements, further adding to the cliffhanger atmosphere in Romania.
Georgescu, dubbed the "TikTok Messiah," came out on top in the first round of Romania's presidential election in December 2024, which the country's constitutional court annulled following the declassification of intelligence reports showing Russian involvement in influencing voters through social media to support the then-relatively unknown candidate.
Georgescu also continues to face criminal proceedings, including committing anticonstitutional acts and misreporting his campaign finances.
The charges also revolve around his support for sympathisers of the Iron Guard, a pre-World War II fascist and antisemitic movement and political party, which is illegal under Romanian law.
After voting, former Romanian president and staunch NATO ally Traian Basescu spoke in no uncertain terms.
"This is a crucial vote, we are at a crossroads, with clear choices to the West or to the East," Basescu said.
"If the choice is pro-Moscow, they will vote for one candidate, and if the choice is pro-Euro-Atlantic, they will vote for another candidate. That's all. It's a decisive day."
The estimated 6-million-strong Romanian diaspora, whose votes can decide the election, has been casting their ballots since Friday and has already exceeded the turnout of the first round, in a sign of massive mobilisation for the country's choice and future.
On Saturday, Euronews talked to Romanian voters in Belgium, where no less than 29 polling stations have been set up across the country.
'A pro-European future, the possibility of accessing European funds, collaboration with member states, free movement within the European area, and more recently, Schengen, free movement,' said one voter when asked about the choice.
In contrast, another one said, 'We voted for something a candidate inspired us to do, something we'd never seen before. We didn't vote for the lesser evil, we voted for what's best for Romania."
As the vote can go either way, the deep divisions in Romanian society and their consequences for the country's immediate political and economic evolution will be a massive challenge for whoever wins the election tonight.
Meanwhile, Simion has already expressed concerns of alleged voter fraud, stating that in case of his loss on Sunday, his supporters are prepared to protest, with some online posts calling for a Ukraine-style "Maidan" in Bucharest — threats that have added further fuel to the heightened tensions in the country.
Follow Euronews Romania's live coverage of the presidential election repeat's runoff here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Pro-Palestinian protest leader defiant despite US deportation threat
"Even if they would kill me, I would still speak for Palestine," Khalil said as he was greeted by cheering supporters at Newark airport, just outside New York City. Khalil, a legal permanent resident in the United States who is married to a US citizen and has a US-born son, had been in custody since March facing potential deportation. He was freed from a federal immigration detention center in Louisiana on Friday, hours after a judge ordered his release on bail. The Columbia University graduate was a figurehead of student protests against US ally Israel's war in Gaza, and the Trump administration labeled him a national security threat. "Just the fact I am here sends a message -- the fact that all these attempts to suppress pro-Palestine voices have failed now," said Khalil, who is still fighting his potential expulsion from the United States. He spoke alongside his wife Noor Abdalla, who gave birth to the couple's first child while Khalil was in detention, as well as Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "Mahmoud Khalil was imprisoned for 104 days by this administration, by the Trump administration, with no grounds and for political reasons, because Mahmoud Khalil is an advocate for Palestinian human rights," Ocasio-Cortez said. "This is not over, and we will have to continue to support this case," she added. Khalil, who was born in Syria to Palestinian parents, is not allowed to leave the United States except for "self-deportation" under the terms of his release. He also faces restrictions on where he can travel within the country. President Donald Trump's government has justified pushing for Khalil's deportation by saying his continued presence in the United States could carry "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences." Beyond his legal case, Khalil's team fears he could face threats out of detention. "We are very mindful about his security, and the irony is that he is the one being persecuted," Baher Azmy, one of his lawyers, told AFP.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
UK PM Starmer says Kneecap should not perform Glastonbury
Asked in an interview by The Sun tabloid whether the Irish rap trio should perform at the iconic festival next week, Starmer responded: "No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. "This is about the threats that shouldn't be made. I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate," he added. Kneecap has made headlines with their outspoken pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance, with one of their members charged with a "terror" offence for allegedly supporting Hezbollah. Last Wednesday, Liam O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, appeared in court accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag while saying "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" at a concert that took place in London last year. The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK, and it is an offence to show support for them. Glastonbury festival, attracting hundreds of thousands of music fans from around the world, is set to take place in at Worthy Farm in southeast England next week starting June 25. Kneecap is due to perform on Saturday June 28 on the West Holts Stage. The government had previously called on the organisers of Glastonbury festival to "think carefully" about the band's planned appearance there. The group has been pulled from a slew of summer gigs since, including a Scottish festival appearance and various performances in Germany. During their performances, rapping in Irish and English, Kneecap often lead chants of "Free, free Palestine" and display the Palestinian flag. The group apologised this year after a 2023 video emerged appearing to show one singer calling for the death of British Conservative MPs. But they deny the terrorism charge and say the video featuring the flag has been taken out of context. O'Hanna, Liam Og O Hannaidh in Gaelic, who has been granted unconditional bail, told London's Wide Awake Festival in May the charge was an attempt to "silence us". The group, which shot to fame with their biting, provocative song lyrics and an award-winning docu-fiction based on them, slammed it as "political policing" and "a carnival of distraction".
Local France
2 hours ago
- Local France
France's Macron says Europeans to 'accelerate negotiations' with Iran
On Friday, British, French, German and EU top diplomats held talks in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi a week after Israel started its bombardment. They urged Iran to revive diplomatic efforts with the United States to find a solution in the standoff over its nuclear programme, but Tehran warned it could only consider diplomacy once Israel halted its bombardment. On Saturday, Macron said talks will be stepped up in an effort to avoid greater conflict. "I am convinced that a path exists to end war and avoid even greater dangers," Macron said in English on X after holding phone talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. "To achieve this, we will accelerate the negotiations led by France and its European partners with Iran." Macron reiterated that "Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons." "It is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful," he added. He once again demanded that Iran must release French nationals Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been held since May 2022 on espionage charges their families reject. "Their inhumane detention is unjust," Macron said. "I expect them to return to France."
