Pro-Russia candidate leads Romanian polls

BUCAREST

A pro-Russia far-right candidate took a surprise lead on Monday in Romania's presidential election, knocking the EU-leaning premier out of the race that will be decided in a December run off.

The result is a political earthquake in the country of 19 million, a NATO member which has so far resisted nationalist appeals, setting itself apart from neighbors Hungary and Slovakia.

Far-right candidate Calin Georgescu was in pole position with 22.94 percent of the ballot, followed by the little-known Elena Lasconi, the center-right mayor of a small town.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu was in third place with 19.15 percent of the ballot in Nov. 24's election after 99 percent of the vote was counted, eliminating him from the December 8 run off.

Exit polls in the race for the largely ceremonial post initially had showed the premier with a comfortable lead and put another far-right candidate, George Simion, in second.

Georgescu surged in recent days with a viral TikTok campaign calling for an end to aid for Ukraine. He has also sounded a skeptical note on Romania's NATO membership.

"Tonight, the Romanian people cried out for peace. And they shouted very loudly, extremely loudly," he said late on Nov. 24.

"The far right is by far the big winner of this election", political scientist Cristian Pirvulescu told AFP of the result that sent shockwaves across the country.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin did not know much about Georgescu: "I can't say that we are very familiar with the worldview of this candidate, as far it concerns relations with our country."

Ciolacu's Social Democrat party has shaped Romania's politics for more than three decades.

But with concerns mounting over inflation and the war in neighboring Ukraine, the far right had appeared to be gaining ground ahead of the vote.