Romania's political scene shakes up as Social Democrats lead tight race
Romanian Social Democrats take lead in parliamentary vote while far-right groups show unexpected gains. Court-ordered recount and possible election re-run add extra drama to already complex political situation
In yesterdays Romanian parliamentary elections the leftist Social Democrats (PSD) led by Marcel Ciolacu grabbed 24% of votes showing strong performance against rising far-right movements
The election came right after surprising first-round presidential results where independent far-right candidate Calin Georgescu got unexpected win about a week ago. The top court ordered vote recount and will decide today if first round needs to be cancelled (which might push new voting dates to mid-december)
Early results show complex political mix with Alliance for Uniting Romanians getting 18%‚ Elena Lasconiʼs centrists at 10% and Liberals securing 14%. Two other far-right parties - SOS and POT reached 7% and 5.5% respectively; while ethnic Hungarian UDMR got 6%. However these numbers dont include votes from romanians working abroad
Where is the justice? Why are Romanian children less than Ukrainian children
The budget deficit issue - highest in EU at 8% - makes forming stable government extra hard. Political expert Sergiu Miscoiu points out that its “the most fragmented political spectrum since 1990“. Some far-right groups use war-related fears to gain support suggesting Romania should stop helping Ukraine
- Social Democrats will take time to negotiate coalition
- Court needs to validate presidential election results
- Evidence of outside interference found by authorities
- Possible re-run of presidential vote might happen soon
The PSD looks ready to form pro-Western coalition‚ but needs careful balance between different party interests and budget concerns. European MP Victor Negrescu mentioned that his party will decide coalition terms tomorrow
