Thousands attend pro-European rally in Romania

6/12/2024 17:04

Thousands of people rallied in the Romanian capital Bucharest late on Thursday in support of democracy ahead of a Sunday presidential election runoff that could see a far-right critic of the EU defeat a pro-European centrist candidate.



The Dec. 8 vote is the last of three consecutive ballots for both a new parliament and president in Romania, a member of the European Union and of NATO, and pits the far-right, pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu against centrist leader Elena Lasconi.



A Georgescu win would upend Romania's pro-Western politics, pushing it closer to a belt of states in central and eastern Europe with powerful far-right, Russia-friendly politicians, including Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.



Romanian musicians, film directors, actors and civic activists threw their weight behind Lasconi at the Thursday night rally in Bucharest, urging voters not to leave the country isolated in the EU and NATO.



An estimated 3,000 people chanted "Europe!" and "No Fascism" in freezing temperatures, carrying banners which said "Democracy is in danger" and "Our children will be free".