Bucharest [Romania], November 25 : A hard-right populist known for his anti-European Union and anti-NATO stance has unexpectedly surged into the lead in Romania's presidential race, raising concerns about the country's pro-Western trajectory, Al Jazeera reported on Monday.
With 98 per cent of ballots counted, 62-year-old Calin Georgescu held nearly 23 per cent of the vote, slightly ahead of centre-left Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who had around 20 per cent. Centre-right candidate Elena Lasconi trailed in third with nearly 19 per cent, followed by far-right leader George Simion with 14 per cent, Al Jazeera reported.
The partial results indicate that Georgescu, who had gotten 5 per cent of the votes in the opinion polls prior to the election, is set to face Ciolacu in a run-off vote on December 8.
Earlier, exit polls had indicated that Ciolacu, leader of the Social Democratic Party, was leading, with Lasconi in second place, in an election focused on economic issues and the increasing cost of living.
Despite his relatively low profile, Georgescu, running as an independent, capitalized on social media platforms like TikTok to connect with voters, while mainstream media largely ignored him.
Georgescu, a former member of the right-wing Alliance for Uniting Romanians party, has called for an end to aid for Ukraine and criticized Romania's participation in NATO's missile defence shield, which he previously labelled a "shame of diplomacy" during an interview in 2021, Al Jazeera reported.
His controversial remarks also include support for Romania's World War II-era leader Ion Antonescu, who allied with Adolf Hitler, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Georgescu on Sunday described the election results as a "cry for peace" from the people.
"And they shouted very loudly, extremely loudly," he said, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, Romania, which shares a border with Ukraine, has been a strong supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia, providing military aid and hosting NATO defence systems.
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