Calin Georgescu, the former and possibly future far-right candidate for Romanian president, called Ukraine an “invented state.” It's the latest iteration of Russian allies in the European Union unafraid to spread Kremlin talking points.
In an interview with RomaniaTV, a national-conservative broadcaster, Georgescu called on Romania to reclaim parts of Ukraine populated by ethnic Romanians. He called carving up Ukraine among its neighbours “inevitable."
Romanian and Ukrainian officials were quick to condemn the comments. Romania’s Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ukrainian authorities accused Georgescu of repeating Kremlin propaganda.
The historical revisionism that Ukraine is either fictional or part of Russia was a leading justification for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to try to topple the government in Kyiv.
In previous statements, Georgescu has expressed agreement with Russian views on NATO and Western influence.
Georgescu at centre of political upheaval
Late last year, Romania’s constitutional court cancelled the results of the first round of the presidential election after authorities there alleged that Georgescu unlawfully benefitted from a Russian-backed TikTok campaign ahead of the 24 Nov. presidential vote, which catapulted him to unexpected victory. Investigations are ongoing at both the national and EU levels.
“The kind of visibility that Georgescu got in a very short period of time seems to indicate that this was inauthentic, coordinated behaviour,” Oana Popescu-Zamfir, the director of the GlobalFocus Center, a security policy think tank in Bucharest, told The Parliament.
Romania is now likely to hold a rerun of the presidential election in early May, with the runoff two weeks later. It remains unclear if Georgescu will run again, though recent polls show him as a favourite – polling at 37%.
Western leaders could do without political chaos in another EU and NATO member. Bordering the Black Sea and Ukraine, Romania is strategically important for the Euro-Atlantic military alliance and hosts thousands of its troops. That includes a French-led battlegroup and the Mihail Kogălniceanu base, which may be NATO’s largest by 2030.
That's why Georgescu’s first-round win, despite polls initially putting him at 5%, came as an unwelcome surprise. Allegations of foreign interference aside, his popularity comes at least partly from local frustrations.
Souring on establishment
Romania’s budget deficit is one of the EU’s highest, meaning the country could be in for painful spending cuts, tax hikes, or both — often fertile ground for populist sentiment.
The country also has the EU’s highest share of people at risk of poverty, which post-pandemic inflation exacerbated. Corruption scandals have tarnished the uneasy coalition between the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL).
“Georgescu was perceived as a political outsider, not linked to the PSD-PNL ruling alliance, which did not stop inflation and the rising energy and grocery prices,” Dragus Petrescu, a professor of comparative politics at Bucharest University, told The Parliament.
Georgescu’s top opponent, the centre-right liberal Elena Lasconi, has criticised his victory’s disqualification but also his most recent remarks. She may end up as the candidate the governing coalition gets behind to keep Georgescu out of office.
Mircea Geoana, a former foreign minister, called Lasconi the “only remaining pro-EU and pro-NATO candidate.”