Romania’s pro-EU, pro-NATO forces win parliamentary elections

By Stefan J. Bos

With most votes counted, initial results showed Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) winning with roughly 22.3 per cent of the vote, followed by the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) with about 18 per cent.

Analysts said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s PSD must form a coalition to govern that could include the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), its current governing partner, and others.

However, the victory of pro-EU and pro-NATO was welcome news for voters such as Durian Burcea, a marketing specialist. 

“As a person who lived a little bit under communism and still remembers it, and at the same time could enjoy all this openness of the European Union, to travel, to have the borders open, to be able to go to other countries, I can't imagine how we could have another option other than being part of the European Union and NATO military alliance,” she said. 

Andreea Damian, a nurse, still hopes others will govern Romania, a nation of 19 million people. “Yes, I would like a chance to see what other politicians can do for us. I want this, and I hope things can be better,” she explained. 

However, the election outcome was due to be welcomed in Brussels. That’s because Romania, an EU and NATO member state, has a 650-kilometer (400-mile) border with Ukraine and is crucial in Western support for Kyiv. 

Grain exports

In addition to providing military aid to its war-torn neighbour, Romania allowed the export of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta.  

There has been Western concern that a pro-Russia candidate, Calin Georgescu, secured a shock victory in the first round of Romania’s presidential ballot the previous week. 

Georgescu, a virtually unknown admirer of the Russian President won the ballot. Observers said that was partly because of his wildly successful social platform TikTok, which officials claimed was backed by Russia, charges Moscow denies.

Yet the Constitutional Court ordered a ballot recount for the first round of the presidential election after an allegation of fraud from one of the 13 candidates.