“According to polls, pro-Russian forces may win the elections”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
It is expected that the far-right and pro-Russian forces of the country, which received support in the presidential elections, will also win in the parliamentary elections, the Romanian service of Radio Liberty reports.
More than 10,000 candidates have registered to compete for seats in the bicameral parliament – 329 seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies and 136 seats in the Senate.
A poll by AtlasIntel showed the far-right, ultra-nationalist Alliance for Romanian Unity (AER) leading with 22.4% support, slightly ahead of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP) with 21.4%.
AER takes a sharply anti-Western position, questioning Romania’s membership in the European Union and NATO.
Voting among the Romanian diaspora began late in the evening on November 30, which could be decisive in the parliamentary elections.
To enter the parliament, political parties must win at least 5% of the vote at the national level. Political alliances of two parties must score 8%, alliances of three parties – 9%, and alliances of four or more parties – 10%.
Romania’s Constitutional Court earlier ordered a recount after officials from the Supreme Council of National Defense demanded “immediate” action from authorities, saying Georgescu had received “special treatment” from the social media platform. TikTok denies any wrongdoing.
Georgescu, a pro-Russian far-right independent candidate, won a surprise victory in the first round of elections on November 24, with nearly 23 percent of the vote.
In the second round on December 8, he should face pro-Western center-right candidate Yelena Lasconi (she was supported by more than 19% of the voting participants).
The Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Čolaku, who also took part in the presidential elections and was called the favorite in the race for the position of the country’s president, did not make it to the second round. He stated the need to check the funding of Georgescu’s campaign on TikTok.
Without party support, Georgescu’s campaign has relied heavily on TikTok, where his account has 1.6 million likes and where he has posted videos of himself attending church, practicing judo, running and speaking on podcasts.
The Supreme Defense Council said it had found evidence that “cyber attacks” were used to influence the election results.
Georgescu argued that state institutions are trying to deny the will of the people.
Protesters in Bucharest rallied against Georgescu for several days, many accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of meddling in Romania’s internal affairs.
A transition of power in the country to more Russia-friendly leaders could jeopardize support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, analysts say.