A little-known, far-right populist has taken the lead in Romania’s presidential election and will likely face leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks, an outcome that has rocked the country’s political landscape.
With around 93% of the votes counted, independent candidate Calin Georgescu was in the lead with around 22% of the vote, while Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), trailed at 20%.
Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party (USR) stood at around 18%, and George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), took 14.1%.
After polls closed, 9.4 million people – just over 52% of eligible voters – had cast their ballots, according to data from the Permanent Electoral Authority.
Georgescu ran independently and was not widely known. He outperformed most local surveys, sending shockwaves through Romania’s political establishment as he ascended to poll position.