Who is Călin Georgescu, the surprise lead in Romania’s presidential elections?

 

Politics

Who is Călin Georgescu, the surprise lead in Romania’s presidential elections?

 

25 November 2024

Andrei Chirileasa

https://www.romania-insider.com/calin-georgescu-suprise-winner-romania-presidential-elections

 

Călin Georgescu, who is likely to emerge as the surprise winner of the first round in Romania’s presidential elections, is an environmental expert and politician with strong nationalistic views.

 

Born on March 26, 1962, in Bucharest, he graduated from the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, specializing in land reclamation and environmental engineering. He furthered his education with a master's degree in land reclamation and a doctorate in pedology.

 

Throughout his career, Georgescu served as the Executive Director of the National Centre for Sustainable Development in Romania from 2000 to 2013. In this role, he coordinated the development of two versions of Romania's National Sustainable Development Strategy, aligning with European guidelines.

 

Internationally, he was appointed as the Executive Director of the United Nations Global Sustainable Index Institute in Geneva and Vaduz for the period 2015–2016. Additionally, he served as President of the European Research Centre for the Club of Rome from 2013 to 2015.

 

Georgescu's political views emphasize sustainable development, national sovereignty, and the preservation of Romanian cultural values. He advocates for the responsible use of the country's natural resources to achieve economic growth while maintaining environmental integrity.

 

In 2020, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) proposed him for the position of Prime Minister, highlighting his expertise in sustainable development.

 

However, Georgescu has been involved in controversies due to certain statements. In interviews, he referred to historical figures Ion Antonescu (Romania’s prime minister during World War II who led the country into an alliance with Hitler) and Corneliu Zelea Codreanu (founder of the far-right Legionary Party) as "heroes of the Romanian nation," a stance that attracted significant criticism. These remarks led to the General Prosecutor's Office opening a criminal case against him for promoting the cult of persons guilty of genocide and war crimes.

 

Despite these controversies, Georgescu rose as a popular figure in Romanian politics. In his campaign as an independent candidate in the presidential elections, he focused on themes of national development and sovereignty. His political agenda includes reducing Romania’s dependence on imports, supporting local farmers, increasing the domestic production of food and energy and tax incentives for Romanian producers.

 

He carried out his campaign mostly through social media channels such as Facebook and TikTok and was almost absent from mainstream media.

 

In November 2024, the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) mandated that Georgescu remove all online promotional materials due to non-compliance with electoral regulations. Georgescu responded by emphasizing his commitment to a campaign without financial backing, viewing the BEC's decision as an attempt to intimidate him and his supporters.

 

Labeled as far-right and pro-Russia by local and international media

 

In their coverage of the presidential elections in Romania, top international publications have labeled Calin Georgescu as a far-right, pro-Russia candidate.

 

Reuters reports that Georgescu, is a hard-right NATO critic, known for his pro-Russian and anti-NATO views. Reuters notes that he has criticized NATO's missile defense in Romania and doubted the alliance's capacity to protect its members from Russian attacks.

 

The Financial Times notes that Georgescu's victory reflects significant dissatisfaction with the current government, plagued by accusations of corruption and mismanagement. According to FT, Georgescu's controversial stances include questioning Romania's NATO membership and praising both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Romania's pro-Nazi dictator Ion Antonescu. 

 

Associated Press highlights that Georgescu's success represents a significant challenge to the political establishment, attributed to a populist manifesto focusing on domestic concerns like supporting farmers, reducing imports, and increasing food and energy production.

 

When questioned in a Digi24 interview about his position on the war in Ukraine, Georgescu said Ukraine shouldn’t be a concern and that the president’s job is to take care of Romania. During his campaign, he spoke about “peace”.

 

Local website defapt.ro has made a roundup of Georgescu's most controversial statements, labeling him "more nationalistic than Simion and more pro-Russian than Sosoaca (Diana Sosoaca - e.n.)":

 

“The Romanian nation has never lived through slaves but through Mihai Viteazul, Horea, Avram Iancu, Cuza, Kogălniceanu, Cuza again, through Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, through Marshal Ion Antonescu, and many, many other heroes. Through them, the national history has lived. Through them, the national history has thrived, not through the lackeys of globalist powers who temporarily govern Romania today,” stated Călin Georgescu, according to defapt.ro. “Zelea Codreanu fought for the morality of the human being,” Georgescu said when asked about the assassinations orchestrated by Codreanu.

 

On Vladimir Putin, he remarked: “Vladimir Putin is a man who loves his country. From my perspective, he is someone who understands diplomatic angles very well, masters them, and is surrounded by highly skilled professionals.”

 

In April 2021, Georgescu stated that “Romania’s chance lies in Russian wisdom,” referring to the tense situation in Ukraine at that time. He also claimed that Ukraine is an “invented state” and that Romania “would have gained more” if it had maintained better relations with China and Russia—arguments aligning closely with Russian propaganda themes in Romania.

 

After casting his ballot on Sunday, Georgescu said in a post on Facebook that he voted “For the unjust, for the humiliated, for those who feel they do not matter and actually matter the most … the vote is a prayer for the nation.”

 

After the exit polls indicated a surprise score for him on Sunday evening, Georgescu said: “The Romanian people cried out ‘peace,’ and they cried out very loudly, extremely loudly. If the political parties had taken a little time to listen and less time to speak, perhaps this cry would not have been so loud. This cry for peace was not a cry of joy; it was one of suffering. (…) Today, the Romanian people passed through the eye of the needle, but the oligarchic system did not. In other words, the wealthy of the system in Romania have become poorer today, while the ‘poor’ Romanian people have become richer.”

 

editor@romania-insider.com