Poll shows leader in cancelled presidential race of EU country as top contender
A recent survey indicates that hardline right-wing presidential candidate Calin Georgescu is anticipated to secure victory in the initial round of upcoming elections in Romania. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Calin Georgescu, the right-wing frontrunner in the annulled November round of Romania's presidential election, is leading in a recent opinion poll ahead of a new ballot set for May. The Avangarde survey indicates that Georgescu is likely to achieve better results than he did in the previously scrapped election.
Georgescu, a critic of NATO and the EU, as well as a vocal opponent of aid to Ukraine, secured 22.94% of the votes in the now-canceled first round, surpassing both liberal leftist and social democrat candidates. The Constitutional Court of Romania unexpectedly annulled the election due to intelligence documents citing 'irregularities' in Georgescu's campaign activities.
Currently, projections suggest that Georgescu could garner 38% of the vote, a significant increase from the approximately 23% he received previously. Following him in the survey is Crin Antonescu, who is expected to be the singular candidate for the pro-EU coalition government with a projected 25%. Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, who may run as an independent, is also in the mix with about 17% of support from respondents.
The possibility of Georgescu actually competing in the May elections remains uncertain. His surprising victory in November led to a political uproar in Romania, and he faced a slew of allegations against his candidacy. The 62-year-old utilized TikTok heavily for his campaign and encountered unfounded claims regarding foreign funding, particularly suggesting ties to Russia.
Despite these allegations, no substantial evidence has been presented, and preliminary findings from an investigation into the election scandal indicated that campaign "irregularities" were financed by the pro-Western National Liberal Party.
On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights dismissed an appeal from Georgescu, who sought to overturn the domestic court's decision to annul the election results. The ECHR ruled that this matter fell outside of its jurisdiction.
The poll drew responses from approximately 1,354 Romanians across different social and age demographics and was conducted between January 10 and 16.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
Georgescu, a critic of NATO and the EU, as well as a vocal opponent of aid to Ukraine, secured 22.94% of the votes in the now-canceled first round, surpassing both liberal leftist and social democrat candidates. The Constitutional Court of Romania unexpectedly annulled the election due to intelligence documents citing 'irregularities' in Georgescu's campaign activities.
Currently, projections suggest that Georgescu could garner 38% of the vote, a significant increase from the approximately 23% he received previously. Following him in the survey is Crin Antonescu, who is expected to be the singular candidate for the pro-EU coalition government with a projected 25%. Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, who may run as an independent, is also in the mix with about 17% of support from respondents.
The possibility of Georgescu actually competing in the May elections remains uncertain. His surprising victory in November led to a political uproar in Romania, and he faced a slew of allegations against his candidacy. The 62-year-old utilized TikTok heavily for his campaign and encountered unfounded claims regarding foreign funding, particularly suggesting ties to Russia.
Despite these allegations, no substantial evidence has been presented, and preliminary findings from an investigation into the election scandal indicated that campaign "irregularities" were financed by the pro-Western National Liberal Party.
On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights dismissed an appeal from Georgescu, who sought to overturn the domestic court's decision to annul the election results. The ECHR ruled that this matter fell outside of its jurisdiction.
The poll drew responses from approximately 1,354 Romanians across different social and age demographics and was conducted between January 10 and 16.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
