In November, a far right, pro-Russia figure came from almost nowhere to become favourite for the presidency. Calin Georgescu, with no affiliated political party and whose campaign had been largely on social media, won the first round of Presidential elections in Romania. The result sent shockwaves across the continent.
But serious allegations surfaced over the legitimacy of Georgescu’s campaign, resulting in Romania’s Constitutional Court annulling the vote and barring Georgescu from standing. After mass demonstrations across the country, it’s clear Romania’s political landscape has been upended.
Ahead of the rerun of the vote for president on 4 and 18 May, what will happen now with Romania’s elections? Will the country lean towards a more nationalist future or back the mainstream parties that were previously in power?
Contributors:
Veronica Anghel, assistant professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at The European University Institute, Italy
Oana Popescu-Zamfir, director of the GlobalFocus Center, associated expert at Carnegie Europe and associate researcher for the European Council on Foreign Relations, Romania
Dr Radu Cinpoes, associate professor of politics and international relations at the University of Greenwich, United Kingdom
Costin Ciobanu, political scientist with Aarhus University, Denmark
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Vicky Carter
Researcher: Katie Morgan
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey
Technical producer: Nicky Edwards
Editor: Tara McDermott
