Thousands of Protesters in Bucharest: Demand for Romania to Stay on European Path
Several thousand people protested on Friday in Bucharest, demanding that Romania remain committed to its European path, ahead of the second round of presidential elections in which the far-right candidate is the favorite.
"It is unthinkable that after all this time, we, the generation that built this country after the fall of communism in 1989 and led it toward Europe, should go back toward Russia," said Joana Nicolae, a 50-year-old writer and wife of the well-known author Mircea Cărtărescu, for Agence France-Presse – reports n1info.rs.
The leader of the nationalist AUR party, George Simion, favorite in the second round of elections and who received nearly 41 percent of the vote in the first round, is a critic of Brussels, opposes aid to Ukraine, and demands compensation for Romania for the aid already provided.
"We cannot vote for Simion. Europe is our home," Nicolae added, calling for "mobilization in light of this dramatic situation."
Organizers claimed that around 20,000 people gathered at the rally, where demonstrators carried Romanian and European flags.
George Matei, a 23-year-old student, expressed his “fear.”
"I want to stay here. I never imagined living in another country, but this week I’ve thought about it a lot," he said.
Thirty-eight-year-old Simion, who cites American President Donald Trump as a role model, will face centrist Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan in the second round, against whom he had about a 20-point lead in the first round.
Dan is counting on those who did not vote in the first round to offset Simion’s lead and secure a European future for the country of 19 million people.
"There are five million isolationist voters whom I respect greatly, but who have been misled. And there should be more of us than them," said the 55-year-old mayor on Friday.
