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The Romanians flocked to the polling stations on Sunday in large numbers to elect the next president of the country, in a choice between a pro-EU centrist and an extreme Eurosceptic.
About 25% of voters of 18 million in the country had voted at noon local time, almost 1 minute compared to the first round on May 4, surmounted by the ultra -nationalist George Simion with 41% of the votes.
But Unucșor Dan, the independent mayor of Bucharest who passed his opponents to qualify for the runoff of 21%, took the opinion polls and counts on the enormous participation to tip the scales in his favor.
“It is a turning point. I voted for a European direction, not for the isolation of Romania,” said Dan in the event of a vote on Sunday.
The country has been seized by a political crisis since November, when the far -right candidate little known Călin Georgescu won the first round of the presidential elections, which were then canceled due to an alleged Russian interference. Georgescu was forbidden to run again and is under a criminal investigation for violations of campaign funding and tries to overthrow democratic order.
Simion is committed to appointing Georgescu as Prime Minister if he becomes president. Sunday, the couple voted together, with Georgescu saying that they had voted for traditional family values ​​and for “healing and forgiveness”. Simion said that he had voted “against the injustices committed against the Romanian people”.
Bucharest voters were looking forward to the outcome of this election.
“I hope we can put this horrible period behind us once and for all, and do it in a way that will push Romania to the future, not the past,” said Răzvan Popescu, father of two children. “We need change, but we need change for the best, not the worst.”
The victory of the first round of Simion has already caused political and economic troubles, the resigning Prime Minister, the Romanian Leu falling strongly against the euro and the country which was fighting to increase debts on international markets. Romania manages the highest budget deficit in the EU and its credit rating is only a step above the status of junk food, analysts said, warning of an even deeper crisis in the event of Simion victory.
“We have a massive mobilization of the two camps at the last minute and a very strong participation,” said independent political consultant Radu Magdin. “If participation exceeds 60%, this will likely promote the aberrant value, Dan. It will be tight. “
He added that the large Romanian diaspora – where the vote began on Friday and that more votes were recorded before noon than in the first round – could swing the results anyway. The polling stations close at 9 p.m. local time when exit polls are released.
The semi-president system of Romania gives the head of state of the country more powers than in many European countries, the president establishing a foreign and security policy, participating in the meetings of EU leaders and having the last word on decisions such as military assistance in Ukraine.
Simion was skeptical about Ukraine, which shares a 600 km border with Romania, and said that the aid should stop because it only perpetuated war. Dan is firmly determined to help Ukraine and Romania maintain an EU file and an NATO ally.
Former President Trian Băsescu said on Sunday that the vote was also a referendum on the pro-Western path that the country had taken since the fall of communism.
“Probably, today, people will decide whether it was good or not,” said Băsescu. “If the option is Pro-Moscow, a candidate will be voted, if the option is pro-Atlantic, another candidate will be voted. It is a decisive day.”
