A victory by far-right candidate Calin Georgescu in the second round of Romania's presidential election could weaken the country's support for EU integration, NATO and Ukraine, while his surprising victory in the first round reflects a surge in anti-establishment sentiment ahead of Romania's parliamentary elections on Dec. 1, likely complicating coalition-building efforts and further destabilizing Romania's political landscape. Georgescu -- a pro-Russia, far-right independent candidate formerly affiliated with the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party -- unexpectedly won Romania's Nov. 24 presidential election, securing 23% of the vote. Elena Lasconi, the leader of the liberal, center-right Save Romania Union (USR) party, came in second place with 19.18% -- putting her just barely ahead of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu from the center-left Social Democratic Party (PSD), who secured 19.15%, followed by AUR leader George Simion with 13.9% and Nicolae Ciuca, the leader of the co-governing center-right National Liberal...
