Romania restarts the controversial elections after canceling the previous vote

Romanians will again try to elect a new president today, six months after the first attempt to scandal and confusion.

Callien Georgsku, a radical strange person with internal tendencies, came on November 24, but this result was canceled due to the fraud in the campaign and Russian intervention.

In February, US Vice President JD Vance severely criticized Romania because of this decision, as he sent shock waves through a Roman political institution that relies heavily on its relationship with the United States. However, Georgescu has been prevented from participating in RERun today.

These elections go beyond nationalist, George Simon, leader of the Romanian Union Alliance (AR), against three centers: the mayor of Bucharest Nikosor Dan; Crin Antonescu, the liberal that represents the Social Democratic and National Vital Alliance; Elena Lasouni, independent.

Seven other candidates on the ballot paper. If no candidate wins more than 50 % of the votes, the flow process will be held between the first two candidates on May 18.

“These elections are not related to a candidate or another, but for every Roman who were lied, ignored, insulted, and still has the power to believe and defend our identity and our rights,” Simon was published on Friday.

Opinion polls – unreliable in Romania – indicate that he will come first today, then face a difficult competition with either Nicusor Dan or Crin Antonescu in flow.

The result is nervous in European capitals, Washington, Kiev and Moscow. Romania is an important crossing of weapons and ammunition systems to Ukraine. The country has an American missile defense shield in Devilo, and three main air bases, from which NATO flies with the air police, to the borders of Ukraine, Moldova, and outside the Black Sea.

Ukraine exports 70 % of its pills under the Black Sea coast, through the Roman territorial waters, towards Istanbul. The Romanian naval escapes that water, and the Romanian Air Force Train trains the Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. The Trump administration is re -evaluating its commitment to Romania. The visa customization agreement was suddenly canceled on the eve of the elections.

“We forget more help to Ukraine if Simon becomes president,” says George Scotaro, a security expert at the new strategy center in Bucharest. As head of the National Security Council, the president can veto any decision, and has a strong impact on security policy. But Scutaru expresses “wise optimism” that one of the two centers will win the flow.

The general discontent of the Roman financial support for Ukrainian refugees was a central board in the Simon campaign, although he denies that he is a supporter of Russia.

In the afternoon in the month of May, crowds of tourist attractions gather in the gardens of Kotosini Palace, the presidential residence in the West of Bucharest. The decision of the interim President Elie Bigran to open buildings and gardens for the public is very popular with visitors.

The white iris and purple lines the paths under the old horse chestnut in a whole flower. Military band marches between flower flowers from Pansies and violet. The palace is a former monastery, converted in the seventeenth century, which became home to the Roman royal family in the nineteenth century.

“I can’t really imagine Simon here …” Ionot, a satirical writer, tells me next to a decorative waterfall, looking at the walls of the palace. Simon voted in the first round of the elections last November, motivated by anger in the ongoing delays of Romania’s full membership in the Schengen Travel area. The frustration of the outgoing president, Romanian, Klaus Iuhanis.

But Romania finally joined the borders of the Schengen land on January 1, and Eyhanis headed in the same month. “The Roman is less angry now,” he believes. He told his daughter that he would vote for Nicushor Dan in these elections, but he did not occur to him.

Anna, Administration Adviser, walks with her family via the palace gardens, also supports Nicusor Dan. “I want to vote for continuity and change,” she says. “Continuity in Romania’s relationship with Europe, but change with regard to corruption. We young people do not attach to the old parties anymore” – which Nickel shares with Simion.

Many in the Great Diaspora in Romania – a million people were registered for vote – have already made their votes, especially in Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. They are invisible in opinion polls, and can easily affect the end result.