Romania’s Parliamentary Election Sees Centrist and Leftist Parties Fend Off Nationalist Surge

Election Results

Romanian centrist and leftist parties looked to have fended off a surge by the nationalist right in Sunday’s parliamentary election, as attention turned to a top court ruling later on Monday on whether to annul the results of a presidential vote.

With 99.78% of votes counted, the ruling leftist Social Democrat (PSD) party won 22.4% of votes, ahead of the hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians with 18.2%. Lasconi’s centrist opposition Save Romania Union (USR) had 12.2%, while the junior ruling coalition ally Liberals had 14.3%. Two far-right groupings, SOS and POT, had 7.7% and 6.3%, respectively, and the ethnic Hungarian Party UDMR 6.4%.

Presidential Vote Ruling

Romania’s Constitutional Court ordered a recount of the first round vote and is due to announce at 1500 GMT its decision on whether or not to validate the results of the ballot. If the court approves the result, independent far-right candidate, Calin Georgescu will face centre-right contender Elena Lasconi in a run-off vote on Dec. 8.

Government Formation

Who gets to form the government will ultimately depend on who wins the presidential race, since the president designates a prime minister, and the timeline for that is unclear. This means Georgescu could potentially be in a position to give far-right parties, who together won over 30% of the vote, the chance to form a government.

Coalition Formation

Romanian authorities say the country is a key target for hostile actors such as Russia, and have accused video streaming platform TikTok of giving preferential treatment to one candidate. Both Russia and TikTok deny any wrongdoing.

Sunday’s parliamentary election, the second of three ballots scheduled over a period of as many weeks, saw the ruling leftist Social Democrat (PSD) party come first, setting the stage for what is likely to be a period of coalition forming with centrist parties.

“We want a coalition that will continue Romania’s European course,” Social Democrat Vice President Victor Negrescu was quoted as saying by the website of Stirile Pro TV. “We expect the democratic, pro-European parties to understand that the Social Democratic Party can be the balancing factor around which a future majority can be formed.”

Party Reactions

Liberal leader Ilie Bolojan said the party was “willing to participate in… a coalition so that we can be a modernising factor for our country”. The leader of the far-right SOS grouping, Diana Sosoaca, appealed for unity among the nationalist parties. “I call on all patriotic, sovereigntist, nationalist forces to come together and form a nationalist government, even a minority one,” she was quoted as saying by the website of Digi 24 TV.

Conclusion

The outcome of the presidential vote and the subsequent government formation process will be closely watched in Romania and abroad. The country’s centrist and leftist parties have fended off a surge by the nationalist right, but the far-right parties may still have a significant say in the government formation process. The outcome will depend on the results of the presidential vote and the ability of the parties to form a coalition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What were the results of the parliamentary election?
A: The ruling leftist Social Democrat (PSD) party won 22.4% of votes, ahead of the hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians with 18.2%.

Q: What is the current situation with the presidential vote?
A: The Constitutional Court is due to announce its decision on whether to validate the results of the first round vote, with a run-off vote scheduled for Dec. 8.

Q: Who will form the government?
A: The government will be formed by the party or coalition that wins the most seats in the parliamentary election, with the president designating the prime minister.

Q: Are there concerns about outside meddling in the electoral process?
A: Yes, Romanian authorities have accused video streaming platform TikTok of giving preferential treatment to one candidate, and have raised concerns about the involvement of hostile actors such as Russia.