Summary
Romania’s presidential election will be a runoff between far-right Calin Georgescu and center-right Elena Lasconi. The Social Democratic Party’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu unexpectedly finished third.
Georgescu, who polled at 5% in the first round, surged to 22.9% with anti-NATO rhetoric, while Lasconi secured 19.16% with votes abroad.
The largely ceremonial presidency influences defense spending, a critical issue for Romania balancing NATO obligations, support for Ukraine, and fiscal challenges.
The winner will succeed pro-Ukraine President Klaus Iohannis.
A good point. From the get-go humans have been intensely tribal and fearful of outsiders. 10,000 years of history shows we kinda bumbled our way through it with a lot of causalities but also a lot of beautiful culture, art, feats, and athletic talent sprinkled in for people who had the time. Now every part of the earth is so interconnected it is unprecedented. How we bumble through this stage is unfolding into a sad story but I can’t get too beat up about it for my own sanity.