Romanian Elections&Politics (June 9th - Local and europarliamentary elections)

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

Craiova - PSD hold

Lia Olguta Vasilescu (PSD) - 34.3%
Nicolae Giugea (PNL) - 24.6%
Antonie Solomon (Ecologists) - 20.8%
Lucian Sauleanu (USR) - 12.8%
Other candidates - 7.6%

I will get back to you on the other questions, counting is still taking place in some areas.

Are the Ecologists a real party then? I sort of assumed they were more of a scam these days.

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

If you think this is bad...some other parties also put QAnon believers on their lists. Anyway, I hope it is now clear what AUR is and who they are taking votes away from.

Even traditional batsh!t Romanian nationalism is being slowly washed away by the waves of Americanisation. What is the world coming to?

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

Anyone who has any questions or predictions about this?

How much does emigration factor into the very low turnout stats?

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

I thought I should let you know that AUR has decided to join the European Conservatives and Reformists party at EU-level. I am not that informed about EU  intra-politics so I don't really have an analysis (if anyone has one, please share it lol) but I am surprised they have not joined a more radically rightist group.

It's the same one PiS is in, which makes sense considering AUR seem to go on about imitating them a fair bit.

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

I thought I should let you know that AUR has decided to join the European Conservatives and Reformists party at EU-level. I am not that informed about EU  intra-politics so I don't really have an analysis (if anyone has one, please share it lol) but I am surprised they have not joined a more radically rightist group.

It's the same one PiS is in, which makes sense considering AUR seem to go on about imitating them a fair bit.

Is PiS a borderline Covid denier party which focuses on its anti-mask and anti-vaccine policies? Because that is what AUR is really about, beyond their shallow anti-establishment and patriotic slogans.

Not at all, but they seem keen to claim commonality with each other anyway - https://www.g4media.ro/aur-anunta-ca-strange-relatiile-cu-partidele-anti-ue-george-simion-s-a-intalnit-cu-lideri-ai-partidului-de-guvernare-din-polonia-si-cu-conservatorii-europeni.html

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

I would love to details some of the other ridiculous moments - an internal government memo calling for people to leak dirt on Orban to the media, Citu engineering a humiliating moment in which he left Orban alone on the front row, and Orban comparing himself to Ronaldo. But I probably wrote too much for the level of interest.

No, I for one would love to read more about this if you're willing to write about it.

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

Iohannis has just nominated Ciolos for PM.

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

One day they'll hold an election in Romania and no one will turn up. The Romanian political class will then stand up as one and declare victory.

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

Btw anyone still interested in this?

I read this thread regularly and appreciate it dearly, fwiw.

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

Hope that makes it clear and sorry for this long response.

Please don't apologise, it wasn't particularly long and it was a valuable perspective. Always good to have more people banging the drum for Central and Eastern Europe in this board.