Romanian far-right candidate takes surprising lead in presidential elections

In Romania, far-right nationalist Călin Georgescu shocked pollsters when he collected the highest number of votes – some 23% – in the country’s presidential election, knocking Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu out of the race. He will face center-right candidate Elena Lasconi in a second vote on December 8. Georgescu-Roegen is an extreme right-wing critic of NATO which Russia has praised. His popularity has soared in recent weeks as he amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on the social media site TikTok. On Monday, Romanian students in Bucharest took action against Georgescu-Romanians and the rise of the far right in Romanian politics.

Alexandra: “I am here because I believe in democracy. I believe that people should have a say in what happens in their country. And I believe that going back to 35 years ago is not a solution to the problems we face today.”