Big challenges await new president of divided Romania

[ad_1] Sarah Rainsford Japanese Europe correspondent

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/5ce3/live/c8c59d60-34e3-11f0-8519-3b5a01ebe413.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/5ce3/live/c8c59d60-34e3-11f0-8519-3b5a01ebe413.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5ce3/live/c8c59d60-34e3-11f0-8519-3b5a01ebe413.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/5ce3/live/c8c59d60-34e3-11f0-8519-3b5a01ebe413.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/5ce3/live/c8c59d60-34e3-11f0-8519-3b5a01ebe413.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/5ce3/live/c8c59d60-34e3-11f0-8519-3b5a01ebe413.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/5ce3/live/c8c59d60-34e3-11f0-8519-3b5a01ebe413.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5ce3/live/c8c59d60-34e3-11f0-8519-3b5a01ebe413.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Nicusor Dan celebrates Romanian election win" class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Think about having a president known as Nicky.

That is what Romanians simply voted for: a softly-spoken, barely geeky mathematician who everybody refers to by his first title, Nicusor – or Nicky.

On Monday, hours after claiming victory within the elections, the brand new president picked up his daughter from college as normal. He is promised his kids nothing will change.

However for Romania issues regarded very totally different this morning.

A vote for change

Nicusor Dan has been mayor of Bucharest since 2020 however till now he was little identified past the capital. That is why his election is extensively seen as an act of protest in opposition to the outdated political guard who've ruled Romania for over three a long time.

However it was additionally the least excessive possibility for change.

Dan's opponent within the second-round vote was George Simion, a hard-right nationalist and Eurosceptic who frequently dishes out public insults.

He is additionally banned from two neighbouring international locations as a result of he claims a part of Ukraine and all of Moldova belong to Romania.

Simion received the primary spherical with 41% of the vote however Dan caught up within the second, after which took over.

"This time, concern managed to defeat fury," is how political analyst Radu Magdin explains the shift, and factors to a big improve in turnout.

"Clearly lots of people are offended in Romania and wish to see radical change. However on the identical time, we noticed large mobilization of the city center class who feared that the nation may very well be taken backwards.

"It was a concern of what might occur if Simion and buddies got here to energy."

'Romania first' rhetoric fell quick

I've met loads of Simion supporters in current days.

When he turned as much as vote on Sunday, a vibrant crowd had been there on the polling station to greet him. Some had been in embroidered nationwide costume and others had introduced Romanian flags.

They tended to speak about God and the "conventional values" they assume Simion represents. Two males instructed me their precedence was to stop the EU "imposing" same-sex marriage on Romania.

Different voters are drawn to Simion's "Romania first" rhetoric and guarantees of a greater life.

"Nothing has been executed for us, the working folks, and I am fed up," Liliana instructed me this week from behind a Bucharest market stall piled with apples.

She and her husband voted for Simion pondering he would not be "so corrupt".

So when the outcomes got here in she was dissatisfied.

"I do not assume Dan is able to working a rustic. However what can we do if folks don't desire change and progress?" Liliana shrugged.

"I feel kids got here again to the villages and persuaded their dad and mom in opposition to Simion. They scared them into voting for Dan."

George Simion says he's "a person of my folks and symbolize change"

Pricey errors

George Simion himself instructed me he was a patriot and a "man of my folks". However because the marketing campaign superior, he made errors.

Outdoors the market, feeding pigeons together with her kids, Diana stated she'd been planning to vote for Simion till she noticed a video from Paris simply earlier than the elections.

Making an attempt to talk French, Simion had described President Macron as having "dictatorial tendencies" and stated the nation was run by "the ayatollahs".

"It wasn't okay to do this, to go there and speak so rudely to the French folks," Diana thinks. "It made me change my vote."

Analyst Radu Magdin spots different errors, together with aggressive weblog posts and the second when Simion insulted his rival, Dan, calling him "autistic, poor man".

"Aside from that, he appeared to flee the general public debate and went shaking palms within the pan-European radical proper as a substitute," Mr Magdin mentions, referring to conferences in Poland, France and Italy proper earlier than the vote.

"I'd say there have been many individuals who didn't actually respect that."

Watch: Supporters of Romania's president-elect Nicusor Dan have a good time his victory

Defiance of Russia

For a lot of Romanians, selecting Dan was additionally a strike in opposition to Moscow's meddling.

On the election road celebrations final evening, in addition to yelling the brand new president's title and cheering, folks chanted their defiance: "Russia, do not forget! Romania just isn't yours!"

They had been referring to proof Russia interfered of their election again in November to spice up the possibilities of far-right conspiracy theorist, Calin Georgescu.

When he got here from nowhere to win the primary spherical, the vote was annulled.

This weekend was a re-run, with Georgescu banned and Simion in his place. The 2 had been typically seen side-by-side, even on voting day.

However Georgescu's open sympathy for Russia – he as soon as instructed me he admired Vladimir Putin – was a turn-off for a lot of voters.

European alternative

Nicusor Dan did not solely win as a result of he was not Simion.

His voters appreciated what he stood for, together with a future firmly inside Europe.

When hundreds surrounded his marketing campaign headquarters final evening to attend for him to assert victory, many introduced EU flags. There was aid in addition to pleasure.

Earlier than the election, younger voters had instructed me they deliberate radical motion if Simion received.

"So many buddies say that they may depart Romania as a result of our values don't align with him in any respect," politics graduate Sergiana instructed me in central Bucharest. "I really feel like in a yr or two he would fully mess up our probabilities to remain within the EU."

Against this, Dan put relations with Europe on the coronary heart of his marketing campaign.

"It is higher for the European approach, for youthful folks and for Romania – as a result of we get extra EU funds, extra growth," one other younger voter, Petrosanu, accepted.

"Additionally Nicusor is the neatest man for the reason that revolution. He is aware of the best way to do issues."

Final probability

In the long run, Dan's win was emphatic. However hundreds of thousands of Romanian voters selected a special approach, totally different values. Whereas hopes for the 'change' candidate are excessive, the challenges are big and endurance could also be restricted.

"For my part, that is the final probability for the mainstream political class to win an election on a 'Save Europe, Save Democracy' platform," Radu Magdin warns.