Only five parties have the possibility of exceeding the electoral threshold
MADRID, 30 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Romanians will vote this Sunday in parliamentary elections marked by the possible annulment of the results of the first round of last week’s presidential elections, as well as by the rise of the extreme right after the surprising victory in those elections of Calin Georgescu, candidate nationalist considered pro-Russian and whose campaign has been questioned for lack of transparency.
Romanians could find out this Sunday when the polling stations close if they finally have to vote again in the first round of the presidential elections, after a controversial decision by the Constitutional Court that has not sat well even with those who could benefit.
The Constitutional Court ordered the recount after accepting an appeal for irregularities in the count, although it rejected another related to the financing of Georgescu’s campaign, amid suspicions of lack of transparency and of having violated the electoral law to benefit his message in networks, especially on TikTok.
POLLS
According to a latest survey by AtlasIntel, five parties exceed the 5 percent threshold that allows entry into Parliament – the same ones that currently make up both chambers -, now controlled by the coalition of social democrats and liberals, with the specific support of the deputies of the Romanian ethnic minorities.
On this occasion, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) is not the favorite, according to surveys, which place it as the second most voted force, with 21.4 percent of support; although not far from the first, the eurosceptic and conservative Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), which would obtain 22.4 percent.
It remains to be seen to what extent the setback in the presidential elections last weekend, in which for the first time since 1989 they have failed to advance to the second round, and the resignation of the Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, as head, can affect the Social Democrats. of the party and with no intention of assuming any other role.
The also conservative Union to Save Romania (USR) of presidential candidate Elena Lasconi comes third in voting intentions, with 17.5 percent; followed by the liberals (PNL), with 13.4 percent; and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), with 5.5 percent of the ballots.
Close to that 5 percent, with 4.6, is the rising Youth Party (POT), a formation that, living up to its name, is only less than a year old and SOS Both are also ultra-right who have already announced who will support Georgescu in the second round of the presidential elections.
PARADIGM CHANGE
Both this Sunday’s elections and those of the second round of the presidential elections on December 8 have acquired special relevance at a time in which the Eurosceptic proposals have reaped good results and could distance Romania from the European path that it began some time ago. of two decades.
Although until now the ideological differences in Romania have been between conservatives and progressives, the current political situation has led to a confrontation between pro-Europeans and Eurosceptic nationalists, from which impossible alliances such as that of social democrats and the USR could emerge.
A “very possible” scenario that was already suggested during the week by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who added the Liberals, also in crisis, to this equation, all with the aim of not hindering the rest of Romania’s European aspirations, such as adoption of the euro as currency.
Even the Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, – who has Romanian nationality and has confirmed her intention to vote – has entered the campaign to warn her neighbors to distrust those who claim that Romania would be stronger outside the European Union and those who say they are betting on getting closer to Russia.
“Do not believe those who say that being close to the Kremlin brings peace and prosperity. Look at what the Kremlin does to its neighbors, blackmails them, bombs them, kills them,” Sandu said this Wednesday in a speech addressed to Romanians.
If the extreme right prevails in these parliamentary elections, Georgescu would emerge strengthened for the still uncertain presidential elections. Although Romania is a parliamentary democracy, the figure of the president influences the political agenda, making it difficult to govern without some collaboration.