Romania is sending far-right politicians to the European Parliament for the first time, but AUR’s lower-than-expected score has mainstream parties in the country breathing a sigh of relief.
The Social Democrats and the Liberals chose to run together in the EU elections not only because they govern together in Bucharest but also to counter the rise of AUR. This strategy proved successful, with the alliance securing 53% of the vote, according to the second Curs-Avangarde exit poll published at midnight.
Broadly, the local election results were similar to the European election results.
“Democracy has triumphed,” said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
“We governed well during a challenging period, achieving a better result than in 2020, which allows us to have a stronger voice in the European Parliament,” he added.
Meanwhile, PNL president Nicolae Ciucă declared that ”the Romanians gave a democracy lesson”, thanking “those who said no to extremism.”
Despite the triumphalist speeches, 15% of Romanians voted for AUR, according to exit polls AUR leader George Simion has already described as “poisonous”.
If the final results are confirmed, AUR will have four or five MEPs, up from one previously.
Notably, voter turnout was 52.4%, the highest since Romania joined the EU in 2007.
