site.btaRomanian Ex-Candidate Antonescu Says He Will Not Support Nicusor Dan in Presidential Run-Off

Former presidential candidate of Romania's ruling coalition Crin Antonescu said on his official Facebook page Thursday that he would not participate in a "new salvation" of the country during the second round of elections. 

Antonescu stressed in his message that this is his personal choice, after he placed third in the first round of the presidential elections on May 4 and did not qualify for the run-off. The run-off is set for May 18 and will be contested by George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, and Nicusor Dan, the independent candidate and current mayor of Bucharest.

Local media interpreted Antonescu’s remarks as an indication that he would not back the other pro-European candidate, Dan. Previously, Antonescu had often stated that he would do everything in his power to keep Romania on a European course.

“I was away for 10 years; I did not ask for anything from the system and received nothing. I returned when I was told I was needed. That was true at the time. People saw things differently, and I respect that. But I have the right not to be part of the group claiming to save the country once again. I am caught between the shallow demagogues who will ruin my Romania, and the agents (including Mr. Dan) with ties to the former communist secret police, the Securitate, who, with help from many well-meaning people, have been damaging this country for 20 years,” Antonescu said.

Following Antonescu’s defeat in the first round, Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Marcel Ciolacu resigned as prime minister on May 5 and announced that his party would leave the ruling coalition, which included the PSD, the National Liberal Party (NLP), and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR).

“The truth… Their truth changes quickly. If the PSD votes had gone to me, it would have meant sticking with the old ways and not moving forward. If those votes had gone to Mr. Dan, people would say they were good votes, helping to bring stability and showing a commitment to ‘saving the country,’” Antonescu said.

In his statement, Antonescu described himself as the only candidate outside the established political system.

I lost the election in the first round. I said—and I still stand by it—that either we would win together (as a coalition, parties, etc.) or I would lose alone. That is what I promised, and that is what happened. I lost the election. Stop searching for betrayals, lack of mobilization, or other excuses. Of course, those things may have played a role. But in the end, this is what I told Romanians: my results were a little lower than those of Nicusor Dan,” Antonescu said.

His Facebook post received thousands of comments, many of them negative.

Oana Gheorghiu, a presidential adviser on healthcare and co-founder of the Give Life association—which built Romania’s first children’s oncology hospital—expressed deep disappointment with Antonescu’s tone and message.

He is just as dangerous as George Simion. You cannot say you are an outsider when you have taken part in blocking the system. And you cannot talk about 'flocks' and 'propaganda' while choosing to stay trapped in an old-fashioned arrogance, Gheorghiu wrote on Facebook.