BUCHAREST, April 18. /TASS/. Romania’s foreign policy could undergo a shift if a nationalist candidate wins the upcoming presidential election, with the potential to pursue a thaw in relations with Russia, political analyst Marius Ghincea told News.ro in an interview.
"If George Simion (the leader of the opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) – TASS) or Victor Ponta assumes office at the Cotroceni Palace (the Romanian president’s residence - TASS), one should anticipate a significant shift in the foreign policy course, including reducing support to Ukraine, and maybe even restoring ties with China and Russia," the expert noted.
According to Ghincea, the majority of Romanians believe that Budapest has not been independent in its foreign policy as it lacks individuality and has played a passive role in relations with its Western partners. As a result, all of today’s presidential contenders in Romania have adopted international theses from former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu who proposed broadening the Romanian foreign policy direction "so that it cannot be fully aligned with the West, drawing inspiration from models" of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the expert explained.
Meanwhile, "Romania has always struggled to take a stance between Washington and Brussels when the two capitals disagree, because it relies on them both," Ghincea stated, as America provides Romania’s military security and Europe delivers it prosperity and economic security, he emphasized.
On November 24, 2024, Romania held the initial round of its presidential election, in which Georgescu, an independent nationalist secured a plurality of votes. On December 6, Romania’s Constitutional Court invalidated the results and mandated a new election, disqualifying Georgescu from participating in a presidential rerun scheduled for May 4 and May 18 of this year.
The most recent opinion polls show that Simion, Crin Antonescu from the ruling coalition, independent candidates Nicusor Dan and Ponta, as well as Elena Lasconi, the centrist candidate, are the leading contenders.