The Brief – Romania counts its demons
Source: Euractiv
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Romania, up to now, has had a love affair with NATO. But all of a sudden, the allies fear that a far-right anti-NATO populist may become the country’s president, a post that, according to the country’s constitution, has huge powers.
How did this become possible? Is NATO at risk? Is the country’s future at stake? Young people in Bucharest have expressed their fears.
Today, Romania is home to the biggest NATO airbase in Europe, even bigger than Ramstein in Germany, and hosting an important element of the US missile shield.
According to a 2024 opinion poll, 81% of Romanians would vote to stay in NATO if asked, and only 8% would vote to leave, a very high level of support among the member states.
Romanians have tended to fear Russia since Soviet times. Even under the communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romania was relatively independent from Moscow. It was the only country from the Warsaw Pact that did not send troops to quash the 1968 Prague uprising.
In Romania, NATO seems to symbolise power at the highest national level. The outgoing President, Klaus Iohannis, was a candidate for NATO secretary general. Mircea Geoana, a former Romanian foreign minister who was NATO deputy secretary general, was an independent candidate to become president of Romania.
These plans, however, turned out to be a fiasco for both of them. Last June, Iohannis withdrew, clearing the way for Mark Rutte to take the post, while Mircea Geoana obtained only 6% after being accused during the campaign of using a troll farm against his competitors, plagiarism, plus having other skeletons in his closet.
The first round of the presidential election last Sunday was a cliffhanger. Opinion polls foresaw the incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, an uncharismatic social democrat, to face hard-right politician George Simion, who opposes military aid to Ukraine.
But nothing like this happened. The first results saw the emergence of Călin Georgescu, a firebrand NATO critic, whom opinion polls failed to detect on their radar. As the vote count progressed, Georgescu was tipped to face Ciolacu in the runoff. But in the end, Ciolacu was ousted from the second round, while centrist Elena Lasconi made it for the runoff. The final result was 23% for Georgescu and 19.15% for Lasconi. (Simion finished fourth with 14%, and Ciolacu got 19.15%, but only 2,740 votes less than Lasconi).
Anti-elite candidates have the wind in their sails, not only in Romania. Obviously, in this country, Georgescu best embodied the revolt against a political system associated with corruption, cronyism and inefficiency, masked behind the euro-Atlantic posturing that will eventually lose its appeal over time. Last but not least, the Romanian inflation rate for 2023 was 10.40%, one of the highest in the EU.
Georgescu fought his political battle on a field different from the mainstream. He was not even invited to TV debates but was surprisingly effective on TikTok.
As Alexandru Gussi, professor at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Bucharest, wrote, Georgescu “turned out to be the most credible nationalist, the most articulate Orthodox, the most skilful speculator of deep fears, who knew how to talk about peace, when an entire political elite has been incapable of speaking articulately to us about war for almost three years.”
Like other commentators, Gussi tones down Georgescu’s pro-Putin image the Western press hastily painted. Despite videos in which he plays judo or rides horses, he only once said that Putin was a strong leader – nothing more than that.
“Russia could not and cannot hope to raise a wave of sympathy in Romania. It is disliked and feared. Collective memory works in this sense,” Russi writes.
Other commentators point out Georgescu’s career, which has had a “mainstream” past, could therefore be described as a political chameleon.
Georgescu also made controversial statements about the Iron Guard and the fascist regime in Romania during World War II. Euractiv’s Dan Luca warns that the political class falls into its own traps when it comes to denigrating Georgescu, who quickly dissociates himself from such issues and plays on the side of independence.
“He wants to appear as a providential man, not one who polarises or brings extreme forms. He speaks of peace, love, and national verticality. He is similar to a magician, shaman, spiritual and even religious leader,” says Luca.
This exotericism may look weird to outsiders, but it is commonplace for those familiar with Romanian romantic poetry of the 19th century. Its most famous poem is ‘Luceafărul ’ by Mihai Eminescu. It is a story about angels and demons in which the name of the author’s alter ego could be deciphered as Lucifer.
Speaking about demons, another one came into play – the Constitutional Court ordered a recount of the votes. The top court’s official motive is perceived as election interference from Russia. However, many suspect the real aim is to reinstall Ciolacu for the runoff and possibly disqualify Georgescu, as his Social Democrat Party appointed several of the court’s nine judges.
Clearly, the Constitutional Court is likely to cause more harm than good. In a democracy, elections lead to surprising results. This was not the case in communist Romania. But perhaps the ghost of Ceaușescu is still alive?
The Roundup
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New Council President – António Costa is taking the helm as European Council president. He is eyeing internal reforms. Hopes are high he will bring a change in style of working.
Irish elections – Old parties hope to cling on as independent candidates surge. Many are campaigning on public frustration about rising immigration and the cost of housing.
Italian politics – Italy braces for a nationwide general strike over Meloni’s budget plan. “Workers are bearing the brunt of economic crises, green transition, and climate challenges.”
Polish-Swedish relations – Tusk and Kristersson forge a strategic partnership, pledging ‘ironclad’ support for Ukraine, urging Nordic and Baltic counterparts to step up Baltic Sea security.
Women’s rights – European Parliament President Roberta Metsola signed a joint declaration by Women Speakers of democratic assemblies, demanding “Give Afghan Women Their Voice Back.”
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[Edited by Rajnish Singh]
The original article: belongs to Euractiv .
