Romania Goes to the Polls on Sunday for the Final Round of the Presidential Elections. It is a Tense Battle Between the Far-Right George Simion and the Centrist Nicusor Dan. After a Previous Election Result was Declared Invalid, Romania Still Needs A New President.
Two Week’s ago was The First Round of the Presidential Elections, After which Simion and Dan Remained. Simion, who casts his vote in the photo above, won that round with 40.3 percent of the vote. But because there was no absolute majority yet, a second round of voting was necessary.
The Presidential Elections are Decisive for the Course That Romania Will Follow on the Geopolitical Stage in the Coming Years. Simion is Against Military Aid to Neighboring Ukraine and is Critical of the European Union.
Dan, The Current Mayor of the Capital Bucharest, is in favor of Strong Ties with Nato and the EU. If he wins, Romania Will Likely Retain the International Position of the Previous Government. That Government is now acting and will step down after a new government is formed under the election winner.
Despite Simion’s Victory, it is not Yet Possible to say who will will win. HIS Competitor Dan Obline 20.7 percent of the Votes in the First Round. Accordance to Polls, the gap with simion has since leg virtual and closed. Then at the top of a poll for the first time on Friday was.
This is partly because voters of candidates who dropped out in the first round now only have the choice between the two remoining candidates. Several Parties Have Rallied Behind Dan to Prevent The Nationalist Simion From Putting Romania on An Anti-Western Course. They fear that Romania Will Become Isolated Under Simion and Become Less Attractive for Investments.
Election Soap
When the Election Result is Final, A Tumultuous Election Period Will Come To An End. The Elections Were Actually Scheduled for Last November and December. But the Highest Romanian Judge Declared the Result of the First Round of Elections Invalid Due to Russian Interference. The Elections Therefore had to be Rerun and Were Postponed by Six Months.
The Non-Partisan Far-Right Candidate Calin Georescu Received the Most Votes Duration That First Round in November. But he was no Longer Allowed to Participate in the New Elections, because the Romanian Security Services had determined that Russian Interference Played a Major Role in His Election Success.
Georgescu Appealed to the European Court of Human Rights and the Constitutional Court of Romania. Both Appeals Were Rejected.
However, Georgescu Still plays a Role in the Elections. Simion Has Promised His Voters to Make Georgescu Prime Minister IF Simion is Elected President. In that case, Georgescu would still end up in an influential position.
Elections also in Poland and Portugal
Residents of Poland and Portugal will also go to the Polls on Sunday. In Poland is The First Round of the Presidential Elections. There, Too, A Pro-European Candidate and a Eurocritic Candidate Are Likely to Go to the Second Round.
An Early Parliamentary Election is in Portugal There. It is the third election in three years. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro Called the Elections After He Failed to Gain the Confidence of a Majority of Parliament. Montenegro Hopes That Portuguese People Will Express Broad Support for Him For A Stable Government, But Analysts Doubt Whether That Will Suced.