Romanians turn to faith ahead of election rerun

SASCHI

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In a picturesque village in central Romania, 83-year-old Zoica Roth bemoans the lack of opportunities for young people and says she's not convinced that an upcoming presidential election can help stem the desertion of the countryside.

"I have two girls and two boys. I only see them once in the summer and once at Christmas because they're all abroad," she told The Associated Press in the courtyard of her farmstead in Saschiz, in Mures county. "The only solution is to leave ... I miss them."

Anger toward Romania’s political establishment in recent years has fueled a surge in support for far-right figures in the European Union and NATO member country, reflecting a broader pattern seen across Europe.

In last year's election, the far-right front-runner Calin Georgescu, who is now under investigation and barred from the rerun, won strong support among rural communities as well as 43% of the vote in Romania’s large diaspora, with his calls to patriotism and emphasis on faith resonating. Georgescu's policy proposals included supporting local farmers, reducing import dependence, and ramping up domestic energy and food production. "He was a good one," Roth said, adding that a top court's decision to cancel the election on Dec. 6 was "pretty messed up."

She also feels let down by the choice of the II candidates in Sunday's election rerun. "There's nothing to choose from, they're all the same," she added. A communist country until 1989, development across rural Romania has lagged behind that of cities. In a country of about 19 million people, some 45% of Romanians live in the countryside, which often lacks jobs and basic infrastructure.

After joining the EU in 2007, millions of Romanians— including Roth's family — moved abroad in search of better opportunities, tearing apart countless families. Like many older generation Romanians, Roth now fondly remembers life during communism.