Sitting at his desk in an isolated compound north of Bucharest, presidential front-runner and far-right populist Calin Georgescu says Romania’s Western alliances remain secure providing they “serve the sovereignty of the country and nothing else.

Draganesti, adorned with European flags and a stronghold of the Social Democratic Party, cast 37% of its votes on Sunday for the pro-Russian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu in the first round of the presidential election.

Specialized software analysis shows that controversial social media posts, which promoted far-right frontrunner Calin Georgescu, were shared by pro-Russia accounts and amplified by bots.

The judo-loving TikTok campaigner won most votes in the first round of the presidential election. Here’s what it means.

Far-right outsider sends shockwaves through Europe after surprise first-round win in Sunday's presidential election

BUCHAREST/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Calin Georgescu, who has stunned Romania and its European allies by leading the first round of the eastern European country's presidential election, is a far-right, self-styled outsider critical of NATO and of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Romania's far-right presidential frontrunner said on Wednesday he will oppose continued Ukrainian grain exports through Romania and further military aid to Kyiv if elected, and that Bucharest is not obliged to stick to NATO's defence spending commitments.