Little known outside of Romania, the far-right NATO critic Kalin Georgescu wins the first round of the presidential elections in the country. If he secures victory in the second round as well, it would deal a significant blow to Western support for Ukraine, reports Sky News.
According to the counting of 99.9% of the votes, Georgescu received 22.9%, while center-right candidate Elena Lascu came in second with 19.16%. The margin is not too large, so the outcome will be decided in the second round, where these two will face off. Notably, polls leading up to the elections indicated that Georgescu was receiving only around 5% of the votes.
"In the 34 years of our democracy, we have never seen such a surge compared to the polls," said political analyst Radu Magdin regarding the results of the second round.
Georgescu has repeatedly suggested halting support for Ukraine and has questioned Romania's NATO membership, claiming that the military alliance would not protect it in the event of an attack. He has previously referred to Vladimir Putin as one of the few "real leaders" in the world and expressed admiration for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Romanian Support for Ukraine
As reported by UNIAN, Romania has remained one of Ukraine's key partners in the war against Russia. For instance, Romania hosts the main training center for Ukrainian F-16 pilots in Europe.
Romania has also provided Ukraine with its own weapons. One of the most valuable gifts was the recently donated Patriot missile defense system.
It is equally important to note that Romania agreed to increase the transit of Ukrainian grain through its territory when Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia began a total blockade of the Ukrainian border.