May 5, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 05.05.2025, 13:55
Elections. The populist and ultranationalist leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, George Simion, and Bucharest’s mayor Nicușor Dan, who ran as an independent, entered the second round of the presidential elections. With all of the votes cast on Sunday counted, George Simion won the first round with 49.96%, followed by Nicușor Dan with 20.99%. The candidate of the Romania Forward electoral alliance, Crin Antonescu, who ran on behalf of the ruling parties, the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, won 20.07% of the votes. Voter turnout was 53.21% and 973,129 Romanians in the diaspora went to the ballots. More on this subject later in the newsreel.
Reactions. The candidate is different, but the far right is still ahead, notes France Presse after the first-round victory of George Simion, whom it describes as an Eurosceptic and Donald Trump fan. According to the French news agency, five months from the shock of the annulment of the presidential elections, Romania on Sunday confirmed its nationalist turn. “Meet George Simion, the hard-right Romanian election winner … who’s banned from Ukraine”, Politico.eu headlines. The publication also notes that many of the political positions adopted by Simion’s Alliance for the Union of Romanians are aligned with those of Trump’s MAGA movement, from social conservatism to halting military aid for Ukraine and that Simion was last year banned from entering Ukraine for three years for what Kyiv described as his “systematic anti-Ukrainian activities”. He has also been repeatedly denied entry to the Republic of Moldova, which accused him of endangering its national security. “A Trumpist and Eurosceptic right-wing radical leads presidential elections in Romania”, the German press writes. Die Zeit recalls the TikTok campaign coordinated by Russia that led to the repeat of the elections and describes Simon as, on the one hand, the successor of the beneficiary of Russian interference, Călin Georgescu, and, on the other, as “a right-wing extremist who rose from among the Bucharest football hooligans”.
Resignation. Elena Lasconi on Monday stepped down as leader of the Save Romania Union, the pro-western opposition. She issued a statement saying the decision comes after a period marked by political and personal challenges, but that she is confident in the future of her party and that of Romania. Dominic Fritz takes over as interim president of the party. Lasconi won a very low percentage in the first round of the presidential elections. At the previous ballot, held last year and cancelled by the Constitutional Court on account of the election process being corrupted, she had made it to the second round, where she was due to face the extremist candidate Calin Georgescu.
Visas. The US Department of Homeland Security, after consulting with the State Department, has revoked Romania’s admittance to the Visa Waiver program, effective immediately. The Department recalls that it suspended the application of the program on 25th March this year to carry out an assessment, a process that has now ended. Given the emphasis placed on border security and immigration, Washington has decided that the admittance of Romania should be revoked in order to protect the integrity of the Visa Waiver program and to ensure border security. Romania may be reconsidered for admittance to the program in the future, if it fulfils eligibility criteria, the Department of Homeland Security also said. The Romanian foreign ministry voiced its regret over the decision of the Trump administration, while the Romanian government said it is essential for the American partners to now provide all technical criteria that informed this decision.
Unemployment. In Romania, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.5% in March, down 0.1% from February 2024, according to data published on Monday by the National Institute of Statistics. The unemployment rate among men was 0.2% higher than among women. The National Institute of Statistics notes the high level of unemployment among young people aged between 15 and 24 recorded between October and December 2024, namely more than 26%. (CM)
