Protests against the rise of pro-Russian politician Calin Georgescu spread beyond Bucharest to other Romanian cities on November 26 after his surprise victory in the first round of a presidential election over the weekend.
Protests opposing Georgescu took place on the evening of November 26 in Bucharest, Timisoara, Iasi, Brasov, and Sibiu.
Georgescu faces a runoff against pro-Western center-right candidate Elena Lasconi on December 8 after winning 22.94 percent of the vote in the first round of balloting on November 24 in the EU and NATO member state.
About 1,000 people turned out in Bucharest for the second night of protests against Georgescu in the Romanian capital's University Square.
SEE ALSO: How TikTok Fueled The Rise Of Romania's Far-Right Presidential Candidate GeorgescuMost of those who took to the streets were young people who expressed their concern about Georgescu's radical attitudes and the future of their country.
"I came here because at the moment our democracy is in a precarious situation and I strongly believe that we, the young generation, can prevent a future disaster, which could take place in the second round," said a student from Bucharest who declined to be identified by name.
Another protester said she was demoralized that people chose not to inform themselves about Georgescu before the election.
"I cannot accept that I or my future children...would be led by a fascist," said the protester, who also declined to provide her name.
She said that Romanians must go down the path of democracy and there is still a chance for that in parliamentary elections scheduled to take place on December 1 and in the December 8 runoff in the presidential race.
"We can go back 35 years and see what our parents and grandparents went through...the mass misinformation they went through when [communist Romanian dictator Nicola] Ceausescu was elected,” she said. “Let's inform ourselves before choosing. We have to go massively to the vote. We young people have a voice and we have to use it.”
SEE ALSO: Who Is Calin Georgescu, The Far-Right Winner Of Romania's Presidential First Round?In Timisoara, young people chanted "Today in Timisoara, tomorrow throughout the country," a reference to the December 1989 revolution, which began in Timisoara.
The protesters also displayed posters saying, "Down with the legionaries," a reference to statements made by Georgescu in television appearances in which he affirmed his sympathy for the legionary or religious fascist Iron Guard movement in Romania and its leaders.
Similar protests were held on November 26 in Iasi and Brasov, where several dozen young people gathered.
The protesters in Iasi said they did not want to be led by a dictator or a sympathizer of anti-Semitic and fascist leaders from Romania in the 1930s and 1940s.
Georgescu, 62, has denied that he is an extremist or a fascist and referred to himself as "a Romanian who loves his country."
He had been polling in single digits before a viral TikTok campaign calling for an end to aid for Ukraine. The independent candidate insisted "there is no East or West" and stressed that neutrality was "absolutely necessary."