Independent Nationalist Călin Georgescu on Course to Become Romania’s Next President

Romania is in shock after a surprising turn of events in the presidential election. An independent nationalist candidate, Calin Georgescu, who ran independently, managed to secure the first round of voting, surprising everyone, especially since most local polls predicted he would win less than 10% of the vote.

Georgescu, who is 62 years old, is now set to face reformist Elena Lasconi in a runoff election on December 8th. With almost all the ballots counted, Georgescu currently leads with around 22.95%, while Lasconi, representing the progressive Save Romania Union party (USR), came in second with 19.17%.

Interestingly, Georgescu has previously expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him a “man who loves his country,” and has even gone as far as to describe Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders from the 1930s and 1940s as national heroes. This has sparked quite a bit of controversy. Lasconi, on the other hand, warned that Romania is now facing a critical historical moment, where preserving its young democracy is at stake against those who seek to bring Romania back into Russia’s sphere of influence.