Romania's Election Reveals New Geopolitical Dimensions

A cancelled election is only the tip of the iceberg

All of a sudden, national politics seems to be on fire across the world. Consider the divisive election in Georgia, a state of emergency in South Korea, and the resignation of the French prime minister, to name a few examples. But what is taking place in Romania is the most shocking.

On November 25, Calin Georgescu, a right-leaning candidate who did a brief stint at the United Nations (UN), surged forward in the first round of Romania’s presidential election, winning almost 23% of the votes. It was a shock for many, in particular, since Georgescu had campaigned on ending aid to Ukraine and also shuddering Ukrainian food exports via Romania’s Constanta port on the Black Sea, which has shuttled 30 million tons of Ukrainian grain.