An ultranationalist, Moscow-friendly Nato critic will face a centre-right candidate in the runoff of Romania’s presidential elections after a shock first-round result that has upended the country’s politics and could jeopardise its support for Ukraine. With 99.98% of votes counted, Călin Georgescu, an independent who has praised Vladimir Putin as 'a man who loves his country', was on 22.9%, with the reformist Elena Lasconi, of the Save Romania Union, second on 19.17%. In Bucharest, students held a rally in University Square to protest against Georgesu's pro-Russian stance

Source: The Guardian November 26, 2024 13:35 UTC