Romanian centrists back pro-EU Elena Lasconi ahead of presidential run-off

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Romania’s mainstream parties have started to rally behind pro-western candidate Elena Lasconi as their only chance to prevent an ultranationalist, Russia-friendly politician from winning the country’s presidency.

Călin Georgescu, a relatively unknown far-right candidate, shocked Romania’s political establishment and its western allies when he topped the first round of a presidential vote on Sunday with 22 per cent. Lasconi, a former journalist and member of a pro-EU liberal opposition party (USR), came in second with 19 per cent, with a run-off scheduled for December 8.

“We will support Romania’s pro-European direction and centre-right politics,” said Ilie Bolojan, the new leader of the ruling centre-right PNL party. “We will support without any negotiation the candidacy of Lasconi, the pro-European option.”

The leadership of the PNL, as well as of the centre-left PSD coalition partner, resigned on Monday after the disastrous results, given that for the first time in the country’s post-Communist history none of the mainstream parties will be represented in the presidential run-off.

“We are all aware that we are facing a danger that few of us thought possible,” said Lasconi in a speech late on Monday. “Călin Georgescu is an open admirer of Putin, he is against Nato and the EU. Without Nato we are at the mercy of Russia . . . We must unite for democracy. We have to show that we are stronger than what is dreamt of in Moscow.”

Former Romanian foreign minister and Nato deputy secretary-general Mircea Geoana, who also ran as an independent, on Tuesday endorsed Lasconi as “the only remaining pro-EU and pro-Nato candidate”.

Georgescu has declined to distance himself from Vladimir Putin, whom he has described as “a man who loves his country” just days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He has also praised fascist leaders and railed against “western interests” allegedly looting his country’s riches and forcing Romania to import items it could produce on its own.

But the 62-year-old agricultural engineer who said he spent “zero” money on his campaign which was carried out nearly entirely on social media, rejected the criticism and said he would keep Romania in the European fold.

“Our partners can wait a few days, and then we can work together for the good of all,” he said in a video. “I am devoted to the Romanian people, we stay true to European values, but we must find our voice . . . I’m not a fascist, I’m a Romanian who loves his country.”

In addition to the votes expressed for Georgescu, another 13.8 per cent went to a different ultranationalist, far-right candidate, George Simion, who pollsters previously expected to make it into the run-off. Simion’s party, AUR, as well as a smaller far-right splinter group, SOS, have both backed Georgescu for the second round of the presidential vote.

Politicians and analysts were still grappling with the fact that more than a third of the electorate voted for extremists who openly campaigned against Romania’s continued support of Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression.

The turmoil in Romania’s mainstream political parties comes just days before parliamentary elections on December 1, after which a new coalition government will be formed.

Lasconi urged voters and fellow politicians to draw a cordon sanitaire around the far right. The Sunday vote was an expression of “protest and exasperation”, she said.

Historian Ion M. Ionita said that a government could be formed without the far right, but pointed out that the more parties there were in a coalition, the more difficult it would be to take decisions.

“All the power is in the hands of Romanian voters,” he said.