Leader of center-right opposition Save Romania Union (USR) Elena Lasconi gives a speech, as she entered the presidential election run-off, in Bucharest, Romania, November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A member of Romania's coalition government threw its weight behind the centrist candidate in a presidential election run-off late on Monday, as the NATO member braces for a ballot that may propel an anti-NATO candidate to its highest office.
Independent hard-right politician Calin Georgescu, 62, who had been polling in single digits before the vote, stunned observers by winning the first round on Sunday in a result that could affect Bucharest's staunch support for Ukraine.
The leaders of both parties in Romania's ruling coalition, the leftist Social Democrats (PSD) and the centre-right Liberal Party (PNL), failed to make the second round, an unprecedented defeat as voters shunned establishment parties.
Both party leaders resigned. The new Liberal head Ilie Bolojan said late on Monday the party would support centre-right contender Elena Lasconi, leader of the opposition Save Romania Union (USR).
"We will support Romania's pro-European direction and centre-right politics," Bolojan said.
"In this regard, we have decided that for the presidential elections, round two... the PNL will support without any negotiation the candidacy of Mrs. Lasconi, the pro-European option."
The Social Democrats, whose leader Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had been the election front-runner, had yet to officially endorse a candidate.
"It is natural to talk among ourselves first, to make decisions and then communicate them," Social Democrat European MP Gabriela Firea told reporters. "We will decide whether PSD will support Elena Lasconi."
Georgescu is a former member of hard-right opposition Alliance for Uniting Romanians, whose own candidate ranked fourth and which announced that it would endorse him.
A separate far-right party, SOS Romania, also threw its support behind Georgescu, who has praised anti-Semitic and fascist leaders from Romania's 1930s and 1940s as national heroes and martyrs, and has questioned whether NATO would protect any of its members if they were attacked by Russia.
Analysts said hard-right groupings are likely to receive an electoral boost from Georgescu's success when the southeast European country of 19 million votes in the Dec. 1 parliamentary election, one week before the run-off, and could help them secure at least one third of parliamentary seats.
Retaining control of parliament would be important for pro-Western forces to serve as a counterbalance to Georgescu if he becomes president.
"It is going to be tight, but there will be a lot of mobilization after the initial shock to help Mrs. Lasconi deliver us from somebody who has the potential to crash even further the political system," said political commentator Radu Magdin.
(Reporting by Mara Vilcu in Gdansk, Luiza Ilie in Bucharest; writing by Alan Charlish; Editing by Ed Osmond)
