Thousands of Romanians gathered at University Square in central Bucharest on Thursday night to show their support for European values ahead of an election that polls say could see a radical far-right…
Several thousand rallied in Romania on Thursday in support of a pro-European presidential candidate a few days before key elections, fearing their democratic rights were under threat.
…
In the first-round on November 24, far right outsider Calin Georgescu, a past admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, took the most votes, sparking fears about the future of the EU and NATO member and triggering protests especially among young people.
Georgescu is to face Elena Lasconi, the leader of the centrist, pro-EU USR party, in a run-off on Sunday.
“I fear that democracy is going to disappear in this country and this is what I don’t want,” said Liliana Rotaru, who works in the banking sector.
“I trust my people and hope that they will choose wisely and vote for the European Union and NATO,” the 50-year-old added. “So that means for Mrs Lasconi.”
Another protester, Radu Bourceanu, who works in human resources, said the protesters gathered to show “we are pro European” but said it was hard to predict the outcome of Sunday’s vote “because, we have a mass manipulation through diverse, social media apps.”
Romanian authorities have pointed to “massive” social media promotion, “manipulated” influencers and cyberattacks as they declassified documents detailing allegations against Georgescu and Russia.
“I’m really anxious, and I do really hope that democracy will win and the Russian influence will not prevail in Romanian elections,” said Laura Boncu, 33.
“I don’t know how our future will look if the Russian candidate, the pro-Russian candidate, will win,” she said.
“I’m here to show that Romania is still a democracy, and we’re fighting and we’re showing up to be able to live tomorrow in a democracy.”
Georgescu has in recent days avoided answering questions about his previous praise for Putin and his “Russian wisdom”.
A critic of the EU and NATO, he says he does not want to leave either grouping but wants to put Romania “on the world map”.
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