Romanians vote in parliamentary election as presidential race grips nation

Romanians are casting ballots in a parliamentary election on Sunday sandwiched between a turbulent two-round presidential race.

The first round of the presidential contest plunged the European Union and Nato member country into unprecedented turmoil following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference.

Sunday’s vote will elect a new government and prime minister, as well as determining the formation of the country’s 466-seat legislature.

Romanians who are abroad have been able to vote since Saturday.

Calin Georgescu, 62, is due to face reformist Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party, or USR, in a December 8 runoff.

Mr Georgescu’s success, which many have attributed to his rapid rise in popularity on the social media platform TikTok, has triggered nightly protests throughout Romania by those who oppose his past remarks praising Romanian fascist leaders and Russian president Vladimir Putin and view him as a threat to democracy.

Many observers believe the presidential outcome indicates a sharp shift from Romania’s mainstream parties to more populist anti-establishment parties, whose voices have found fertile ground amid high inflation, high cost of living and a sluggish economy.

According to a report by Expert Forum, a Bucharest-based think tank, Mr Georgescu’s TikTok account before last week’s vote saw an explosion of engagement, which it said appeared “sudden and artificial, similar to his polling results.”

Without naming Mr Georgescu, who declared zero campaign spending, Romania’s top defence body said Thursday that “a presidential candidate benefited from massive exposure due to preferential treatment” granted by TikTok. Romania has become a “priority target for hostile actions” by Russia, it added.

The Kremlin denies it is meddling.

The same day, the Constitutional Court requested a recount of all 9.4 million votes after a presidential candidate who obtained 1%, filed a complaint alleging the USR had violated electoral laws against campaign activities on polling day.

The Central Election Bureau approved the request and said scanned reports were due to be sent in by Sunday night. On Friday, the court postponed a decision until Monday on whether to annul the vote.

“The impact of the surprise in last Sunday’s presidential election will be significant, and we are going to wake up in a new political reality,” he said. “Georgescu voters will speak again and will reshape how we look at the political Romanian spectrum from now on and probably forever.”

“We are going to wake up on Monday in a new political reality in Romania.”

“The most probable scenario will be a difficult-to-build majority in the parliament to support and endorse a new government.”

The two main opposition parties — which have dominated post-communist politics in Romania — the Social Democratic Party, PSD, and the National Liberal Party, PNL, formed an unlikely coalition in 2021 which has become increasingly strained.

A small ethnic Hungarian party exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute.

While the presidential role in Romania has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security and foreign policy, the prime minister is the head of the nation’s government.

Recent surveys have suggested the top three parties in Sunday’s race will be the PSD, the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians and the PNL.