Participation in the elections of Romania exceeds that of the elections canceled in November and the diaspora is mobilized | International

Participation in the presidential elections of Romania this Sunday, which are the repetition of the first round canceled in November by the alleged Russian interference, reaches 32.4% in the Ecuador of the day, very similar to the one recorded then (32%). In those elections, Calin Georgescu, an independent and ultra -nationalist candidate, who was flanked by his viral videos in the social network Tiktok won irregularly without being detected by the secret services. Given the suspicions that his victory responded to an operation promoted by Russia, the Constitutional Court canceled that first round and ordered his repetition. He also forbidden Georgescu to appear again, but the candidate he sponsored, also Ultra George Simion, now head of the polls.

The Romanian political class considers that these are the most crucial elections of the post -comunist era, in a country that is part of the EU and NATO and that could bow to the extremist and anti -European populism that advances on the continent. The future president will not yet come from today’s vote – the two most votes will have to be measured in a second round on May 18 – but a clear victory of Simion would be A new shock for the European Council.

At 15.00 (one hour less in Peninsular Spain), the participation was 32.4% of the almost 18 million citizens called to the polls, only half a percentage point more than the November elections at the same time. One of the access keys to the second round, according to the forecasts, will depend on the sense of the vote of the Romanians who reside abroad; And among these, it seems to have produced a significant increase in participation: 687,945 had voted before 15.00, about 240,000 more than in November. The data are, however, difficult for dimensions because Romania does not have a census of fixed voters abroad. Among the countries where the most Romanians are mobilizing Spain (with over 600,000 recorded with that nationality), Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany and Moldova.

George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of the Romanices (AUR), the candidate in the lead according to the polls before today, who attribute 36%. The candidate for the coalition of the Proeuropeo government, Crin Antonescu, and the independent candidate and the current mayor of Bucharest, Nicuōor Dan, would be about 24% and 22% respectively, according to these probes. This opens the struggle for the second place before the second round of 18. Here are the reborn Victor Ponta (former Social Democratic Prime Minister) and Elena Lasconi, who was second in November.

“Postcomunist Romania has never lived such controversial and tense elections because they were canceled in the first round And many people felt disappointed, furious“, Says Vlad after voting in a center of the capital.” I voted because he never said the vote for the future of the country, both European who believes that he will go to the second round with Simion. “

“We need a quiet and competent president because the country is immersed in a difficult economic situation,” says Ana, a 46 -year -old economist that mentions a 9.3% deficit and fears an increase in taxes. “We are in an economic crisis that has been postponed by the elections, but will come to light because there are great problems,” he says, after having underlined that “the ultra -desst leader did not discuss with anyone, unlike the prosecuting candidates, who took their eyes”. “It was frustrating to see proeuropian politicians who have many points in common to attack in a virulent way. Only only one should have been presented; practically the proeuropeum vote started in three”, complains.

The main competitors approached the electoral schools early in the morning. Simion appeared accompanied by Georgescu, the winner of the November elections. “We are here with a single mission: the return to the constitutional order, to democracy. We have no other objectives of how much the Romanian people are the first (…). We are here with a single desire: to do justice for Romania,” Smion said after depositing the vote. “I’m not here to recognize the fraud”Georgescu said in reference to the elections. “A fraud designed by those who have adopted cunning as the only state policy. But I am here to recognize the power of democracy, the power of the vote that frightens the system, which terrifies the system,” he said. Both voted.

Antonescu, the aspiring coalition of the government, said: “This is a very important day. I am happy to have a huge presence (voters). It is something extraordinarily important to legitimize the elections, for the moral force. I voted for a united, strong and dignified Romania”. Nicuōo Dan, as a mathematical profession and also activist, said he voted for “many silent, honest workers that no one has represented to date”. “I voted for hope, for a new beginning. Romania is experiencing a difficult moment and we cannot expect those who have brought it to the hole,” he said.

The cancellation of the first round of the presidential presidential ones by the Constitutional Court, a decision that occurred only two days before the second round and which caused the angry criticisms of Russia and the government of Donald Trump in the United States, led to the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, to resign in early February. Ilie Bolojan was chosen at the Liberal. The process is under the magnification of the European Union.

Tiktok, who was in the eyes of the Hurricane in November because in that network he gained the ultra -nationalist candidate brilliantly, said he has eliminated two secret networks who tried to influence the political discourse in the elections of Romania. These networks were made up of 87 accounts with over 33,000 followers.

During the day of this Sunday the hacking Web pages of the interior, justice and foreign ministries, claimed by the Russian reporting group Non Ame057. Pirate’s candidate’s website was also Pirate, who wrote in his social media profile: “The dark forces of extremism take care of the most vile methods of stopping. We don’t afford it! We’ll vote!” The National Computer Safety Directorate (DNSC) recognized that the hacking of official pages had occurred but ensured that they normally operated shortly after.