Huge challenges await new president of Divided Romania

Imagine that a president is called Nicky.

That is what Romanians have just voted for: a soft spoken, somewhat geeky mathematician who refers everyone to his first name, Nicusor or Nicky.

On Monday, hours after he had demanded the victory in the elections, the new president picked up his daughter from school as usual. He has promised that his children will not change anything.

But for Romania things looked very different this morning.

Nicusor then has been mayor of Bucharest since 2020, but so far he was not known by the capital. That is why his election is generally seen as an act of protest against the old political guard who has been ruling Romania for more than three decades.

But it was also the least extreme option for change.

The opponent of Dan in the second round mood was George Simion, a hard-right nationalist and Euroceptic who regularly assigns public insults.

He was also banned from two neighboring countries because he claims that part of Ukraine and the whole of Moldova belong to Romania.

Simion won the first round with 41% of the votes, but then got in second place and then took over.

“This time, fear succeeded in beating Fury,” is how political analyst Radu Magdin explains the shift and points to a significant increase in the turnout.

“It is clear that many people are angry in Romania and we want to see radical change. But at the same time we saw massive mobilization of the urban middle class that feared that the country could be taken back.

“It was a fear of what could happen if Simion and friends came to power.”

I have met many Simion supporters in recent days.

When he appeared on Sunday, there was a colorful crowd at the polling station to greet him. Some were in embroidered national dress and others had brought Romanian flags.

They tended to talk about God and the “traditional values” that they think Simion represents. Two men told me that their priority was to prevent the EU from “imposing” the marriage of the same sex to Romania.

Other voters are attracted to the rhetoric of Simion “Romania” and promises of a better life.

“Nothing has been done for us, the working people, and I am fed up,” Liliana told me this week from behind a Bucharest market stall with apples.

She and her husband voted for Simion and thought he would not be “so corrupt”.

So when the results came in, she was disappointed.

“I don’t think it is able to run a country then. But what can we do if people don’t want change and progress?” Liliana shrugged.

“I think children came back to the villages and their parents crossed against Simion. They scared them to vote then.”

George Simion himself told me that he was a patriot and a “man of my people”. But as the campaign progressed, he made mistakes.

Outside the market, which fed pigeons with her children, Diana said she was planning to vote for Simion until she saw a video from Paris just before the elections.

Simion tried to speak Frans and had described President Macron as “dictatorial tendencies” and said that the country was run by “the Ayatollahs”.

“It wasn’t okay to do that, to go there and talk so roughly with the French people,” Diana thinks. “It made me change my voice.”

Analyst Radu Magdin sees other mistakes, including aggressive blog posts and the moment when Simion called his rival, then, insulted him “autistic, poor guy”.

“Unlike that, he seemed to flee the public debate and instead started shaking hands in the Pan-European radical law,” mentions Mr Magdin, referring to meetings in Poland, France and Italy just before the mood.

“I would say there were many people who didn’t really appreciate that.”

For many Romanians, choosing a strike against Moscow’s interference was.

During the election street celebrations last night, as well as screaming of the name of the new president and cheering, people sang their challenging: “Russia, don’t forget! Romania is not yours!”

She referred to evidence that Russia was involved in their elections in November to increase the opportunities of the extreme right -wing conspiracy theorist, Calin Georgescu.

When he came out of nowhere to win the first round, The mood was canceled.

This weekend was a repeat, banished with Georgescu and Simion in his place. The two were often seen side by side, even on the voting day.

But the open sympathy of Georgescu for Russia-Hij once told me that he admired Vladimir Putin a turn for many voters.

Nicusor then did not only win because he was not a Simion.

His voters liked what he stood for, including a future firm in Europe.

When thousands surrounded his campaign quarters last night to wait until he claimed the victory, many brought EU flags. There was lighting and excitement.

Before the elections, young voters had told me that they had planned radical action if Simion won.

“So many friends say they will leave Romania because our values ​​do not coordinate with him,” Politics told Sergiana me in Central Bucharest. “I feel that in a year or two he would ruin our chances to stay in the EU.”

Then, on the other hand, relationships with Europe have put in the heart of his campaign.

“It is better for the European way, for younger people and for Romania – because we get more EU funds, more development,” another young voter, Petrosanu, approved.

“Nicusor is also the smartest man since the revolution. He knows how to do things.”

In the end, the victory of Dan was emphatically. But millions of Romanian voters chose different values ​​in a different way. Although the hope of the candidate ‘change’ is high, the challenges are enormous and patience can be limited.

“In my opinion this is the last chance for the regular political class to win an election on a platform ‘Save Europe, Save Democracy’,” warns Radu Magdin.

George Simion is only 38 and does not go anywhere; His nationalist Aur party is strong in parliament.

“The next time it is” bye “if these people don’t do their job,” says the analyst. “Next time it can be someone like Simion.”