Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
The threads of right-wing populism in 2024 are becoming familiar. A far-right, pro-Russia, EU-and-Nato sceptic politician has won the first round in Romania’s presidential election.
The result on Sunday came as a surprise – Călin Georgescu, 62, ran as an independent and built a mass following on social media that wasn’t registered by pollsters. TikTok videos showed him flipping opponents on a judo mat and riding a white horse.
“It’s a TikTok win,” one analyst tells the FT. At stake is the Western alliance backing Ukraine, which shares a 400-mile border with Romania.
Romania’s support could weaken under Georgescu, who’s described Putin as “a man who loves his country”.
He will go to a run-off vote on 2 December against the reformist Elena Lasconi. The ruling party was eliminated in the first round.
