Orban's Stand Deemed Exemplary by Romania's Ruling Coalition Presidential Candidate

Romanian presidential candidate Crin Antonescu, who is also backed by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), has praised Viktor Orban's stance as exemplary. As part of his campaign tour, the politician visited Cluj-Napoca on Saturday. During a press conference in the Transylvanian city, journalists asked Mr. Antonescu about his campaign slogan, as it closely resembles the 2022 Hungarian election slogan used by Fidesz: "We are moving forward, not backwards."

Romanian presidential candidate Crin Antonescu (Photo: AFP)

Discussing the upcoming presidential election, Romanian political scientist Andrei Taranu emphasized that Romania is shifting to the right, toward conservatism. According to him, the leading candidates are conveying ultraconservative messages, and their rhetoric reflects the sentiments of Romanian society. – This political shift is also accompanied by a change in social attitudes. Society is moving relatively quickly in a conservative, right-wing direction," he said. He pointed out that among the countries in the region, Romania has the highest percentage of people who identify as religious. According to Mr. Taranu, the concept of progressivism carries negative connotations in today's Romania.

Cover photo: Romanian presidential candidate Crin Antonescu (Photo: AFP)