Romania faces pro-Russian and pro-European rivalry ahead of May presidential election
Last year's vote annulled over allegations of Russian interference
Opposition backs independent candidate to prevent split in pro-European votes
A political party in Romania, ahead of the presidential election, has drawn attention by withdrawing support for its own candidate, who ranks in the top 5 in approval ratings, and declaring support for an independent candidate. This move aims to back the third-place candidate as far-right candidates lead in first and second place.
According to Yonhap News on the 17th (local time), citing the European edition of 'Politico,' "Romanian presidential candidate Elena Lasconi (52) is fighting with her party to complete the presidential race."
According to Yonhap News, the Romanian right-center opposition party, the Union Save Romania (USR), decided last week to withdraw support for Lasconi and instead back Nicu?or Dan, the independent candidate and mayor of Bucharest. This strategic decision was made based on public opinion polls conducted from the 10th to the 13th. In those polls, far-right candidates George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), and former Prime Minister Victor Ponta recorded approval ratings of 33.4% and 24.7%, ranking first and second respectively. Candidate Dan ranked third with 21.2%, while Lasconi’s support was about 5%, placing her fifth.
Concerns were raised that if pro-European voters split their votes between Lasconi and Dan, far-right candidates could advance to the runoff. In response, USR leadership withdrew support for their own candidate with the intention of "stopping the far-right at all costs." Lasconi responded by saying, "Last year, polls also showed I was unlikely to reach the runoff, but I eventually secured second place," adding, "I am focusing on the 40% of undecided voters."
In December last year, ahead of the presidential runoff election, pro-European citizens held a rally and shouted slogans. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
Previously, Romania held the first round of the presidential election in November last year, but the Constitutional Court invalidated the results due to suspicions of Russian election interference, leading to a re-election this time. In the first round, Lasconi unexpectedly received about 19% of the vote, advancing to the runoff.
Lasconi has criticized the USR leadership that turned their backs on her in this election, calling them "traitors" and "losers." She warned, "The party leadership is trying to change the candidate without democratic procedures, ignoring the will of party members," and cautioned that "there is a risk this could be seen as election manipulation."
USR attempted to redirect Lasconi’s campaign funds to candidate Dan, but the Central Electoral Bureau legally prohibited this, prompting USR to file a lawsuit in court. They also announced plans to campaign for Dan through social networking services (SNS). Lasconi is contesting the party’s decision to suspend election funding and is taking legal action, prolonging political turmoil.
Romania, a member of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), shares a border with Ukraine, leading to a fierce contest between pro-Russian and pro-European candidates. The EU is also wary of the possibility of a far-right president emerging.
Romania is a semi-presidential system where the prime minister holds executive power, and the president is responsible for foreign affairs and defense. The presidential term is five years, with one possible re-election. The first round of voting will be held on May 4, and if no candidate wins a majority, a runoff will be held on May 18 to determine the final winner.
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