Europe's latest radical populist typifies a swing on the continent

Politics in Romania can be a bloody business, especially on the right. The excesses of the Iron Guard, an insurrectionary, violently antisemitic, ultranationalist 1930s political-religious militia, stood out even at a time when fascist parties were wreaking havoc in Germany, Italy and Spain. Given what is happening in Europe today, the events of that period are instructive.

- Simon Tisdall

Iron Guard founder Corneliu Codreanu, a ruthless assassin who was himself assassinated in 1938, and his ally turned enemy, the pro-Nazi general Ion Antonescu, who was executed for war crimes in 1946, are back in the news. That's because both men have been lauded as national heroes by Călin Georgescu, shock winner of last month's first round of Romania's presidential election.

No mere throwback, Georgescu is a man of our times - a radical, hard-right, pro-Russia populist-nationalist who wants to make Romania great again. His antiglobalisation, anti-Nato, Eurosceptic platform stresses self-sufficiency, and aims to return the country to its rural roots. He does not belong to a conventional political party, instead using Tik Tok to reach millions of followers.

Georgescu claims to speak "for those who feel they do not matter and actually matter the most". Inflation, debt, corruption and security were the big issues as the country headed into parliamentary elections last weekend, followed by a presidential runoff due on 8 December.