A pro-Russia nationalist candidate who pledged to end Romania’s “subservience to EU and Nato” has unexpectedly taken the lead in the first round of the country’s presidential elections.

Calin Georgescu is currently positioned to be in the final round of elections, leading with over 22 per cent of the vote with around 99 per cent of votes counted.

In second place is the current centre-left Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu with around 20 per cent and following him is reformist Elena Lasconi, who amassed 18 per cent of the vote.

The voter turnout for this year’s election was 52.5 per cent, which is slightly higher than the last election in 2019.

The hard-right candidate ran independently, with his campaign centred around reducing Romania’s reliance on imports, supporting farmers and increasing domestic production on food and energy.

He has also claimed that Nato and the EU do not represent Romanian interests and has condemned the Nato ballistic missile defence shield located in Deveselu, Romania, calling it a “shame of diplomacy.”

In addition, Georgescu is an outspoken fan of Putin, and has described him as “a man who loves his country.”

He claimed the war in Ukraine is being manipulated by American companies.

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“The 35-years-long economic uncertainty imposed on the Romanian people became uncertainty for the political parties today,” he said after polls closed yesterday.

He added that the result was “an amazing awakening” of the Romanian people.

Although the president in Romania holds a mostly symbolic role, if Georgescu wins he will still have significant influence in areas such as foreign policy.

The ultranationalist candidate took to TikTok during his campaign in a bid to connect with regular Romanians, after many lost faith in the mainstream political parties.

He gained over 1.6 million likes on videos of him doing sports, going to church and speaking on podcasts.

Georgescu works as a university professor and international consultant on sustainable development.

He was also a representative for Romania on the national committee of the United Nations Environment Program.

The final result of this round of voting will be known later today after the final votes are counted.

The second round will be held on December 8, a week after the parliamentary elections which will decide the country’s next government and prime minister.