How the Romanian authorities “help” elect a pro-Russian president and how to avoid it

An unprecedented step by the Romanian state to cancel the presidential election during the second round has plunged the country deeper into crisis. This decision has only increased the likelihood of a Kremlin-backed candidate winning. Read more in the article by Sergiy Sydorenko, European Pravda's editor - Romanian authorities are losing to the Kremlin but not giving up: how canceled elections have deepened country's problems.

He explores the chances of victory for either a Kremlin-aligned or pro-Western candidate. Below is a summary of the piece. The Romanian authorities are ignoring the main message from voters: the country needs a change from its corrupt, outdated elites.

Advertisement: As a result, voters are willing to support any alternative, even a pro-Russian one. Romania's elites are clinging to power, targeting not only Kremlin-aligned forces but also pro-Western opposition parties that challenge their control.

For example, in the cancelled second round of elections, Kremlin-backed Calin Georgescu was to face Elena Lasconi, a pro-Western, anti-Putin candidate. Lasconi claims that canceling the elections robbed her of victory. In late December, the liberal USR party, led by Lasconi, was ousted from the governing coalition, leaving only the "old" parties in power.

Marcel Ciolacu, an unpopular politician, became prime minister. The coalition also announced a joint candidate for the rescheduled elections: Crin Antonescu, a former interim president with a controversial reputation. Antonescu was once critical of the West and NATO but changed his stance after 2014.

For Ukraine, a Ciolacu-Antonescu government in Romania is an acceptable scenario, as both support Ukraine in its war against Russia. But the integrity of Romania's political process is an internal matter for its people and politicians to decide. The problem is that voters might once again reject the ruling elites, paving the way for another victory by a pro-Russian, anti-system populist. This might not even be Georgescu.

The Kremlin has a deep "bench" in Romania. If Antonescu faces a dynamic newcomer, especially one with openly pro-Russian views, he could lose. Who might this populist candidate be?

It's almost certain that Calin Georgescu, the surprising winner of the previous elections, will not be allowed to run again. The Russians have other options though, such as George Simion, leader of the far-right AUR party. Simion is openly anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western, though his support for Putin is less overt.

This gives him some cover: he was allowed to run in this year's presidential election. By 2025, he could consolidate the votes of Georgescu's supporters and the far-right electorate to become president. This scenario becomes even more plausible if Antonescu, a 65-year-old candidate backed by discredited parties, is Simion's opponent in the second round.

What Romania needs is a fundamentally new leader who can unite committed pro-Western voters and those yearning for generational change in politics. Such a figure already exists: Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, who has announced his intention to run for president. The campaign is still in its early stages.

Much will depend on whether Nicusor Dan can secure clean funding sources and whether other pro-Western candidates-like Lasconi-recognise the urgency of the moment and refrain from splitting the vote.

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