Reformist Elena Lasconi, who will face him in the runoff on Dec. 8, is directly warning that Romanians must now rally together to stop the country falling back under the thrall of Russia, which occupied it after World War II. She urged a crowd in Bucharest not to let frustration with the current establishment “become a vulnerability exploited by Russia.”
Sunday’s first round was a shock because Romania has been viewed as a reliable EU partner and NATO ally — in sharp contrast to smaller countries such as Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria that have major problems over rule of law and pro-Russian leanings. If Bucharest were also to veer toward a more anti-EU, pro-Russian path, it would seriously undermine the EU’s ability to function, making it hard to build consensus among the member countries.
Georgescu, who doesn’t belong to a political party and has some 3.8 million likes on TikTok, in many ways fits the mold of the 2024 radical right-wing populist: He speaks plainly, shuns Western orthodoxy, is loathed by mainstream media, and is an EU- and NATO-skeptic.
“The result of this silent yet extremist, pro-Russian candidate is part of Russia’s hybrid war against European democracy,” said Siegfried Mureșan, a conservative Romanian lawmaker in the European Parliament.
Indeed, the surprise result in Romania coincides with broader attempts by Russia to bring countries inside the European Union or in its neighborhood into the pro-Moscow camp.
Election observers have warned of efforts to influence the outcomes of recent elections in Moldova and Georgia. Meanwhile the leaders of Hungary and Slovakia, both in the EU, already espouse pro-Russian views and they could soon be joined by Czechia, if former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš wins parliamentary elections due next year.