Intelligence reports suggest Călin Georgescu benefited from suspected Russian interference but the annulment of his first-round win has left many angry and confused There have been four presidents of Romania since the 1989 revolution that terminated the brutal 20-year rule – and the life – of the communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu Iliescu again,” the retired security guard said Nursing a beer outside a hole-in-the-wall bar in rural Drăgănești Constantin said one man might have been able to change things Now even those who did not back Georgescu are disgusted Elena Preda on her way home from Drăgănești’s minimarket Photograph: Bogdan Dinca/The Guardian“Millions voted for him; he should have been allowed to stand,” said Elena Preda Hours after the constitutional court confirmed Georgescu’s disqualification saying his violation of electoral rules was “conduct contrary to the Romanian constitution” He said that he hoped the ruling would “restore social tranquility in Romania” He added that the judges’ decision closed “an extremely tense and dangerous episode” in the country which could now return to “a normal social climate” and “civilised public debate” Ionut sells potatoes onions and brooms by the roadside in Drăgănești Photograph: Bogdan Dinca/The GuardianListening to the voters of Drăgănești the decisions to annul the vote and pursue Georgescu may be sound Politically – in a society feeling as fed up and as let down by its political class as Romania’s – they could be explosive The first-round ballot was annulled after the far-right candidate surged from less than 5% in the polls days before the vote to a triumphant 23% and declassified intelligence documents revealed a campaign with the hallmarks of a Russian influence operation from Romania’s intelligence service and interior ministry listed 85,000-odd cyber-attacks on the country’s election computer system and identified 25,000 largely dormant TikTok accounts that had suddenly begun amplifying Georgescu’s messages What has emerged so far strongly suggests a Russian campaign The files suggested social media influencers had been hired by intermediaries and paid to share videos promoting Georgescu’s campaign and that some of his campaign workers were linked to organised crime gangs and neo-fascist groups The former soil scientist – who declared zero campaign spending - is now under investigation on six counts illegal use of digital technology and promoting fascist groups Prosecutors are also investigating 21 others linked to Georgescu. They include Horaţiu Potra, a military contractor who has called for insurrection “with scythes Police raids on their homes have uncovered weapons and millions in cash Adina Marincea is a researcher at the Elie Wiesel Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania she said clean-cut 62-year-old Georgescu may have “an aura of legitimacy” but there was little doubt he was “a very dangerous figure” Georgescu has hailed Romania’s 1930s fascist leaders as heroes He recently gave an apparent Nazi-style salute “We have enough evidence to place him in that tradition,” Marincea said Through his use of “dog whistles” he “signals to the radical right but he can also say: ‘I didn’t mean that.’ It’s not enough to call him populist or opportunist.” Alexandru Ioniță (in dark glasses) with friends in Urziceni Photograph: Bogdan Dinca/The GuardianFor his supporters – many of whom see him almost as a messiah with his unrealisable populist promises of huge tax cuts and jobs for all – none of it justifies his ousting “I don’t believe a word of it,” said Alexandru Ioniță Watching one of his three children play in a park in Urziceni He promised he’d put Romania back on its feet said Georgescu had “shown us how to fight for our our country Mihaela Măcelaru watches a TikTok post by Călin Georgescu Photograph: Bogdan Dinca/The GuardianRomania’s democracy is fragile The median household income is about a third of the EU average Food is 50% more expensive than five years ago Almost a third of the country’s 19 million people are at risk of poverty and social exclusion nearly 20% of the workforce has sought better opportunities abroad in the words of one centre-left politician to create difficulties – while enriching its own.” Free weekly newsletterThe most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment Inequality, meanwhile, is high: at twice the national average, the per capita GDP of Bucharest exceeds that of Paris, Berlin, Vienna and Stockholm. And a long history of corrupt and incompetent politicians has left public trust in MPs and ministers low Adding fuel to those flames is what many observers see as a calamitous lack of official or institutional transparency people are only too eager to fill it,” said Ana Dragomir communications director of the Romanian civic engagement NGO Funky Citizens “Our authorities are famous for not communicating or explaining their decisions,” she said “That leaves a big hole that instantly gets filled by deep-state conspiracy theories [and] allegations of a coup.” Such claims are not confined to Romania. The Trump administration has presented the whole episode as an attack on free speech. The US vice-president, JD Vance, asked in a recent speech whether the country “shares America’s values” Elon Musk wondered how a judge can “end democracy in Romania” Ana Dragomir Photograph: Bogdan Dinca/The GuardianDragomir cites the manner of Georgescu’s detention for questioning by police last month as an example of the authorities needlessly fanning the flames of such discourse the electoral bureau’s decision to cancel the first round of the presidential ballot “It was unprecedented – yet still they failed to communicate or explain,” Dragomir said A similar absence of clear, complete and – most importantly – public evidence surrounds the exclusion from May’s presidential re-run of both Georgescu and another far-right candidate, Diana Șoșoacă had already been barred from standing in the first round The constitutional court pronounced Șoșoacă’s anti-EU pro-Moscow diatribes “contrary to democratic values” She would not be able to keep the presidential oath to respect Romania’s constitution and protect democracy if elected there’s just nothing really specific there,” said Dragomir written in law … This may have been the right decision it just creates more tension and polarisation The barrings left Romania’s populist far-right parties which hold more than a third of parliamentary seats and had united behind Georgescu scrambling to find a replacement candidate they fielded two – George Simion of Romania’s second-largest party the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) founder of the Party of Young People (POT) – before Gavrilă withdrew A defaced poster for the presidential candidate Nicușor Dan in Iasi Photograph: Bogdan Dinca/The Guardian“We decided to support the one who has the most chance of winning,” she said on Wednesday we must support this ultranationalist movement by giving it all the chances.” Polls have suggested Simion would top the first round with about 30% of the national vote but would likely be defeated in the second round runoff by the centrist mayor of Bucharest Georgescu’s campaign has been “an absolute wake-up call” a Social Democrat senator and former progressive activist and he’s clearly a symptom of something deeper.” the gap between voters and politicians widening and far-right populists stoking resentment “It does remind me of the interwar rise of fascism Stefan lives in Drăgănești with his wife and believes Romania ‘desperately needs change’ Photograph: Bogdan Dinca/The GuardianShe added that there were external factors sustained investment by Russia in undermining trust” they had to actually make a difference to people’s lives That was a message that resonated back in Drăgănești said Georgescu “should just have been arrested from the start … He’s clearly a shady character.” But even if Georgescu was not the man to do it Romania still “absolutely and desperately needs change” World Subscribers only Romania enters government crisis amid election World Subscribers only In Zurich the leaf blower war or the 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European flags and a stronghold of the Social Democratic Party cast 37% of its votes on Sunday for the pro-Russian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu in the first round of the presidential election this outsider will face the pro-European centrist Elena Lasconi in the runoff Located just an hour's drive north of Bucharest Draganesti is much like many villages deep in the Romanian countryside Rundown houses line a few straight streets though things are slowly improving thanks in part to money sent back by Romanians working in Western Europe The star-spangled blue flag flutters everywhere as a reminder of the European Union (EU) funding that built the new school refurbished the town hall and paved the roads it would be such a catastrophe," said Ionut Toma the young mayor from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) the party of Romania's current Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu who was eliminated in the first round of the presidential election held on Sunday His village is so attached to the West that it has also hung the NATO flag in front of its town hall no one can change them," said a municipal employee while giving a tour of the premises Draganesti cast 37% of its votes for Calin Georgescu the far-right pro-Russian candidate who unexpectedly topped the polls in Romania He is set to face the centrist pro-European candidate Elena Lasconi in the second round on Sunday "When I saw Georgescu's ballot papers being counted I said to myself: We've got a problem," said Emil Stan still in shock that this PSD stronghold was among the areas with the strongest shift toward Georgescu across Romania You have 77.26% of this article left to read Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur En cliquant sur 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The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate approved on October 4th the canonization of Eldress Sophia (function() { window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { listeners: [] cb) { window.mc4wp.listeners.push( { event : evt callback: cb } ); } } }})(); © 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website These cookies do not store any personal information Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Romania — In this small northern Transylvanian town volunteers were up early the other day putting up dozens of posters that exhort in large letters: “Defend Romania’s children.” The activists are supporters of a referendum this weekend that seeks to amend Romania’s constitution to restrict the definition of family to a marriage between a man and a woman Opponents of the Social Democratic (PSD) government see the vote as a ploy to shore up its shrinking support and shift attention away from criticism at home and abroad of its record on the rule of law and corruption the referendum also fuels fears that Romania is embracing the idea of “illiberal democracy” championed by Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and also followed by the Polish government Supporters of the constitutional change say they can be loyal members of the EU while holding onto traditional values “Not to vote or to vote ‘no’ means to agree with those who want to take God out of our institutions our families and from our hearts” — Pastor Cristian Ionescu “We grew up with a mother and a father and we feel this is the most appropriate structure,” said volunteer Roxana Costeanu as she ripped off a piece of sticky tape for a poster “The European Union wants us to be open to anything that comes from the West but we have a history and a culture and we cannot adopt all beliefs,” she said in the medieval citadel where Saxon architecture attracts tourists and reflects the town’s ethnic German heritage Romania does not recognize same-sex marriages, but the constitutional change would prevent gay couples from obtaining this right in the future The referendum stems from a petition that gathered 3 million signatures. It has the backing of the Orthodox Church and the Coalition for Family an umbrella association for over 40 religious conservative and other nongovernmental groups Roxana Costeanu tapes up a poster reading “Defend Romania’s children,” in support of the referendum | Photo by Anca Gurzu The group is part of the Coalition for Family and the video was created to mobilize the Romanian diaspora for the vote Politicians and celebrities have also been involved in the debate, including Liviu Dragnea, leader of the ruling Social Democrats, who said he will vote in favor of the change. The referendum has put the party at loggerheads with other members of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament. Group members criticized the vote last month in a meeting with Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă saying it goes against the values of their political family A group of cross-party MEPs wrote Dăncilă a letter this week saying that “allowing this referendum to take place adds validity to anti-LGBTI rhetoric and encourages hate speech and violence against LGBTI individuals.” “I feel like any other citizen of this country who can see how quickly we are turning towards the past The referendum needs a 30 percent turnout to be valid — in other words some 5.5 million people would need to cast a vote increasing the chances of meeting the turnout threshold said he’s worried Romania is taking a step backward I don’t think they should have an opinion on my choices.” coordinator for the Coalition for Family in Bistrița disagreed with the idea that the referendum is targeting gay people it’s strengthening a right that heterosexual couples already have Members of Romania’s LGBT community attend the Gay Fest pride parade in Bucharest Fourteen EU countries allow gay marriage or same-sex civil partnerships but Chiuzan pointed to Hungary and Poland as examples of other countries that explicitly state in their constitution that marriage is between a man and a woman The referendum “reinforces the view that countries in Central Eastern Europe have partially different values,” said Paul Ivan senior analyst at the European Policy Center who is originally from a small town near Bistrița “it would show that the country is disconnected from the liberalization wave that moved across much of the Western world in terms of gay rights,” he added The timing of the referendum is no coincidence as the ruling PSD is keen to change the public debate in the country The petition signatures were gathered back in 2016 but the initiative was stalled until last month in the parliament which had to give the go-ahead for the referendum holds a cross while marching during a support rally for the family re-definition referendum Her sign reads “Vote YES during the referendum defend the marriage between man and woman” | Robert Ghement/EPA “It’s clear that it was kept in the drawer so that it can be used at a politically sensitive moment,” Ivan said Dragnea and the PSD have faced growing criticism following a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in August They have also faced accusations from political opponents and civil society groups that their changes to the justice system and criminal code could threaten the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption Dragnea is expected to appear in court on October 8 as part of his appeal against a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence he received in June in a case involving fake jobs for party workers Andronic said he is sure the constitutional change will be approved “I have accepted the level that we are at in Romania,” he said The growing carbon footprint of the ICT sector is challenging the EU’s green ambitions The EU’s Green Deal chief Frans Timmermans on Monday said he opposed a decision to eject the United Kingdom from the North Sea Energy Cooperation platform and … ‘The UK can no longer be invited to meetings,’ the Commission wrote The killing of a senior Iranian general is raising fears of a global price rise Hidroelectrica will execute next week the letter of guarantee amounting to EUR 8 million issued by UniCredit Bank to Austrian company Andritz Hydro for an upgrade contract after having won a litigation in Vienna The electricity producer concluded in 2004 with Austrian-German consortium Andritz-Voith an upgrade contract for the power plants on Lower Olt river The five plants, put into operation between 1987-2000, are equipped with 20 hydro groups, each with an installed capacity of 13.5 MW. The plants were refurbished over 2006-2013 and while the contract was ongoing The company asked the consortium to replace the stainless steel equipment which got corroded Amid the consortium’s refusal to take responsibility for the corrosion and for other unsolved technical problems Hidroelectrica asked last year in July UniCredit Austria the execution of the bank guarantees issued by the two companies   We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.