Written by Luiza Ilie
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romanians voted on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election that could give a shot to hardline politician George Simion, who opposes military aid to Ukraine, admires Donald Trump and wants to emulate Giorgio Meloni’s Italy.
Two-time president Klaus Iohannis, 65, had strengthened Romania’s stance in supporting western countries but was accused of not doing enough to fight corruption.
Voting starts at 0500 GMT and ends at 1900 GMT followed by exit polls. The second round is scheduled for December 8 and parliamentary elections are also expected next Sunday.
Polling by Romanians abroad, which could influence the outcome and where Simion is popular, began on Friday. Simion voted in Rome.
Opinion polls show that leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, 56, leader of Romania’s largest party, the Social Democrats, will run in a runoff with Simion, 38, of the Alliance for Uniting Romanians, a likely runner-up.
Analysts expect Ciolacu to win the second round against Simion, wooing allies and raising his experience of running in Romania during the war with his neighbor, but not ruling out a change amid frustration with the high cost of living.
They also say the prospects of the Ciolacu-Simion vote could unite center-right voters in favor of Elena Lasconi, leader of the center-right opposition Save Romania Union.
Simion made the election as a choice between an entrenched political class that looks after foreign interests in Brussels and himself, an outsider who will protect Romania’s economy and sovereignty. Romania has the EU’s largest share of people at risk of poverty.
“We take as an example the right-wing government formed in Italy,” Simion told foreign media earlier this week.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Romania has allowed the shipment of millions of tons of grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta and provided military aid, including the donation of a Patriot air defense battery.
“Romania has belonged to Ukraine unconditionally and will remain so,” Ciolacu told Antena3 television station.
FAMILY FINANCES
Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciuca, the leader of the Liberal Party who is currently in a bad meeting with Ciolacu’s party, was behind Lasconi, the survey said.
“It is still very difficult to predict the result because of the concentration of candidates and the split of the middle-class vote,” said Sergiu Miscoiu, professor of political science at Babes-Bolyai University.
Most of the candidates, he said, campaigned with conservative messages such as protecting family values.
“The main party candidates have a concrete message, on the one hand the nation, the military, religion and so on. On the other hand, we see a commitment to Europe, although it is seen as a source of money rather than a price motivation.”
Romania’s president, who is limited to two five-year terms, has a limited role that includes leading the military and chairing the defense council that decides on military aid.
The president represents the country at the EU and NATO summits and appoints the prime minister, grand juries, prosecutors and secretaries.
