Young people stage protest against independent presidential candidate Călin Georgescu in Bucharest
<p>Hundreds of young people gathered on the afternoon of Monday, November 25, one day after the first round of the presidential elections, in Bucharest’s Piața Universității at a protest against the first-placed candidate, independent Călin Georgescu. </p>
<p>The protest began spontaneously through messages on WhatsApp, according to media reports. “A legionary dictatorship threatens Romania,” the call to protest read.</p>
<p>Once in the central square, a symbolic given the massive student protests in favor of true democratization that took place there in the 1990s, the protesters began chanting slogans against Georgescu.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.romania-insider.com/calin-georgescu-suprise-winner-romania-presidential-elections">Călin Georgescu</a>'s controversial stances include questioning Romania's NATO membership and praising both Russian president Vladimir Putin and Romania's pro-Nazi dictator Ion Antonescu. When questioned in a Digi24 interview about his position on the war in Ukraine, Georgescu said Ukraine shouldn’t be a concern and that the president’s job is to take care of Romania.</p>
<p>“Students from all cities, join us to show that a Putin supporter cannot defeat us,” said one protester. </p>
<p>Two older men joined the young demonstrators and told them they supported them. Both said they are now retired, and one of them was a former political prisoner.</p>
<p>“We worry when we see fewer and fewer young people around us. My daughter has also left. That’s why you need to say: No, Mr. or Comrade Georgescu! Go back to Moscow, to Putin! Don’t come here,” the man said to the crowd, receiving applause, according to <a href="https://hotnews.ro/un-indemn-la-protest-impotriva-lui-calin-georgescu-pentru-luni-seara-la-universitate-circula-pe-whatsapp-romania-e-amenintata-de-o-dictatura-legionara-1845134">HotNews.ro</a>.</p>
<p>A few incidents took place during the evening. At one point, a counter-protester appeared among the crowd and began arguing with the young people but police quickly escorted him away to de-escalate the situation.</p>
<p>More than three and a half hours after the demonstration began, the protesters indicated that they would continue the protests in the following days: “Here again tomorrow evening, so we won’t have to leave the country.” The protesters are also calling on political parties to unite “against this common evil named Călin Georgescu.” </p>
<p>Despite the protest, young people in Romania are not of the same mind when it comes to the surprise candidate. Remus Stefureac, head of the INSCOP survey house, recently <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=8485451581565547&amp;set=a.348315881945865">published</a> a profile of Georgescu’s voters extracted from the survey conducted on election day. According to the data, 31% of young voters aged 18-24 voted for Călin Georgescu, in contrast to just 8% of voters aged over 65. Men and women showed no significant difference in their voting intention for Georgescu, despite his anti-abortion and anti-cesarian birth views.</p>
<p><em><a href="mailto:radu@romania-insider.com">radu@romania-insider.com</a></em></p>
<p><em>(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Octav Ganea)</em></p>