Anti-NATO Georgescu takes the lead in Romanian presidential elections
Bucharest, November 25 (Hibya) - According to the latest election data, little-known far-right populist candidate Calin Georgescu took the lead in Romania's presidential elections on Sunday and will likely face leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks.
Independent candidate Calin Georgescu garnered about 22% of the votes after approximately 93% of the ballots were counted, ahead of Social Democratic Party (PSD) candidate Ciolacu, who secured 21%. Elena Lasconi from the Save Romania Union (USR) party had around 18%, while far-right Alliance for Romanian Unity (AUR) leader George Simion took about 14%.
Georgescu, who described NATO's ballistic missile defense shield as a "shame of diplomacy," is expected to face leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in the runoff.
After the polls closed, the Central Electoral Bureau reported that 9.4 million people (approximately 52.4% of voters) participated in the election. The runoff will be held on December 8.
The president of Romania serves a five-year term and has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security, foreign policy, and judicial appointments in the EU and NATO member state.
Albania News Agency