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FRANCE 24 English
  • 11/24/2024

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Transcript
00:00It's a presidential election that could indicate a political shake-up in Romania.
00:07The electorate is fragmented, very fragmented, we have never had anything like this before.
00:13There is a rise of populism, we don't know yet who among the others will succeed in combating this populism.
00:20The star of that populism is right-wing MP George Simeon, a self-described Trumpist,
00:27who says he's part of a new wave of patriotic politics in Europe
00:31and who's been banned from entering neighbouring Moldova and Ukraine for security reasons.
00:36Polls indicate he's a leading candidate alongside left-wing Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu,
00:41the candidate for the Social Democrats,
00:44while other serious contenders are centre-right Elena Lasconi,
00:47former NATO Deputy Chief Mircea Joana,
00:50and centre-right former Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca.
00:54But despite the wide choice, some voters in Bucharest this week were struggling to see a good option.
01:01For the young people there is no ideal solution.
01:04As everybody says, just a least worst option.
01:08I'm not going to vote, there is nobody to vote for.
01:12It wasn't a very clear campaign and we haven't been well informed.
01:15Analysts say candidates failed to focus on the issues.
01:19The economy is one of the main challenges.
01:22Romania has one of the EU's highest deficits,
01:25while on the ground people are struggling with the mounting cost of living.
01:28And as a neighbour of Ukraine and a country on the Black Sea,
01:31security is another major concern.
01:34If, as predicted, no one candidate crosses the 50% threshold
01:38to get elected in the first round on Sunday,
01:41the top two contenders will have a run-off in two weeks,
01:44with polls suggesting it will come down to a battle
01:47between the moderate mainstream and the new hard-right populism.

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