Social Democratic Party

Romania’s ruling left-wing party, the Social Democratic Party, withdrew from talks to form a coalition government, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said today, thus escalating the political crisis triggered by the cancellation of the presidential elections earlier this month.

Romania's pro-European parties have initiated efforts to form a unified political strategy amid a tense political landscape following the annulment of the presidential elections by the Constitutional Court.

With 99% of the votes counted in Romania's parliamentary elections, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), led by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, has secured the largest share of the vote with 23%. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) follows in second place with 18%, while the National Liberal Party (PNL) is in third with 15%.

A pro-Russia far-right candidate took a surprise lead on Monday in Romania's presidential election, knocking the EU-leaning premier out of the race that will be decided in a December run off.

The result is a political earthquake in the country of 19 million, a NATO member which has so far resisted nationalist appeals, setting itself apart from neighbors Hungary and Slovakia.

Romania's incumbent Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), is set to be eliminated in the first round of the country's presidential election, paving the way for a run-off between two right-wing candidates. With 99.9% of the votes counted as of Monday morning, pro-Russian, hard-right, NATO-sceptic Calin Georgescu was leading the race with 22.9% of the vote.

Romanian Far-Rightists Storm Digital Environment

Following the rejection of the so-called "Sovereignty Bill" by Romania's Chamber of Deputies on May 10, the political climate has further deteriorated.

"Anti-Semitic discourses have not disappeared from Romanian political life in the last 30 years," said Oliver Jens Schmitt, professor of Southeast European history at the University of Vienna.

"AUR is trying to address as large a group of protesting voters as possible," he said, and politics is getting in the way of any substantive response.

President Klaus Iohannis nominated the former defence minister and reserve general Nicolae Ciuca as Romania's next Prime Minister of Romania on Monday after talks with most parties in parliament.

Romanian political parties spent about 111.7 million lei [about 22.56 million euros] from January to September this year on "mass media and propaganda", according to official data provided by the Romanian Permanent Electoral Authority, AEP.

The former president of the Social Democratic Party, PSD, Liviu Dragnea, who was released on parole in June, said he will support a new party, the Alliance for the Fatherland, which preaches nationalist values and calls for Romania to leave the European Union.