Will the second cycle of elections stabilise Romania?
A billboard showing posters of the candidates for this year's elections in Romania. Photo EPA, Robert Ghement
Eastern Europe
Romania is going to the ballot box again, on May 4th and May 18th. While the research remains incomplete on Christian voters, nobody knows who they will vote for. Marius Bâgu gives his assesment.
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It was an unprecedented decision by the RCC (Romanian Constitutional Court). The judges cancelled the first cycle of elections on December 6, 2024, which is unheard of in modern times. While the public applauded the decision, it left much to desire, at least from my perspective. The RCC made the following claim:
The electoral process regarding the election of the President of Romania was vitiated throughout its conduct and at all stages of multiple irregularities and violations of electoral legislation that distorted the free and fair nature of the vote expressed by citizens and the equal opportunities of electoral competitors, affected the transparency and fairness of the electoral campaign and disregarded the legal regulations regarding its financing.
The RCC's statement was issued with little proof. It was merely a statement and nothing else. At the time, the Constitutional Court did not provide any evidence to support its claim, and even now, the evidence is insufficient. There is a lot of speculation in the media regarding this issue, and the evidence is minimal.
Furthermore, based on the principles of justice, everyone is and should be innocent until proven guilty.
The candidate Călin Georgescu is the reason why the RCC cancelled the whole electoral process in December. While his politics could be very well categorised as far-right, with ultranationalist, anti-NATO and pro-Russian undertones, on the surface, at least, he seems to be just another politician with inane aspirations. The idea that he would become the next Romanian dictator, as some in the media have called him, is ludicrous.
While this will go down as a spot in Romanian history, at least from my perspective, the silver lining is that the new presidential elections have been set and will take place on May 4 and May 18 this year. And even though I am discontent overall, I look forward to this election cycle.
Based on the Avangarde polls, a Romanian national survey, the top contestants for the following elections are George Simion (Alliance for the Union of Romanians), Crin Antonescu (Electoral Alliance), Nicușor Dan (Independent), Victor Ponta (Independent), and Elena Lasconi (Save Romania Union).
While other contestants are worth noting, their chances to enter the second round of elections are slim to none. It is hard to say who will go into the next round, even among the favourites. Although Crin Antonescu did not participate in the last elections, he has made an impression on the public. He may go into the round two of the second cycle of elections.
It is hard to say whom the Evangelical and Reformed Christians will vote for. The percentages are unknown because there are no statistics on this. Not only that, but no major political party represents them in Romania.
While none of the favourite candidates are trying to persuade this group of voters, Crin Antonescu has recently made news for supporting traditional marriage between a man and a woman. This will surely give him some boost in the Evangelical and Reformed circles. How much? That remains to be determined.
Going back to the RCC’s decision, it is important to mention that Călin Georgescu was an independent candidate at the first cycle of presidential elections, and he has been part of the political scene since 2010. No matter how much people claim he is dangerous, he wears the same political coloured coat as his opponents.
Besides, while I disliked Călin Georgescu and his rhetoric, considering I would not have voted for him, I believe he had a right to continue in the elections. The Constitutional Court could have waited for a thorough investigation before invalidating the electoral process. Whether or not the candidates are to my liking, they deserve due process.
Many, including the magistrates, seem to have found it too tedious to allow the elections to proceed naturally before bringing charges against Călin Georgescu. The magistrates and other public figures were impatient and did not want to see him win the second round of elections.
The Romanian political landscape has become chaotic because of the RCC's sudden decision to cancel the presidential elections. Heated real-life and online debates have divided the nation, and protests are ongoing.
Ultimately, I still think the Romanian Constitutional Court’s decision to cancel the elections had insufficient basis. But I will not dwell on that because it is not worth it. For now, I look forward to the second cycle of elections, and the only thing I can hope for is that things will go back to normal and all the turmoil will eventually pass.
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