Romania election stunner: Fringe hard-right candidate now set to reach presidential runoff

Romanian ultranationalist Călin Georgescu is on track to make it to the final round of presidential elections alongside current Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, according to Sunday’s provisional results with more than two-thirds of ballots counted.

According to the partial results, Ciolacu leads with 22.7 percent followed closely by Georgescu on 22.2 percent. Another much-hyped hard-right candidate, George Simion, trails with 15.3 percent support, while reformist candidate Elena Lasconi is on 13.8 percent, with 67 percent of votes tallied.

An early exit poll had suggested that Lasconi was set to qualify for the presidential runoff, but Romania’s political milieu was upended by Georgescu’s surge as vote counting continued Sunday night. Preliminary results are subject to change as votes continue to come in.

Georgescu, extremely religious and nationalistic, campaigned on reducing Romania’s reliance on imports, supporting farmers, and increasing domestic production of food and energy.

He has also argued that the EU and NATO do not properly represent Romanian interests and claimed Russia’s war in Ukraine, a Romanian neighbor, is manipulated by American military companies.

A little-known university professor who leveraged TikTok to rally voters around him, Georgescu has drawn fierce criticism for his previous comments supporting Romania’s 20th Century fascist Legionary Movement.

Turnout across the country and the Romanian diaspora was 52.5 percent, slightly above the 51.2 percent who voted in the previous presidential election in 2019.

The second round is set for Dec. 8 following Romania’s parliamentary election next Sunday.

This story is being updated.