Elections in Romania: Lasconi loses party backing
Elena Lasconi from the liberal USR party would have been in the run-off vote in Romania's presidential election in November had the first round of voting not been cancelled. The election will be repeated on 4 May, but the party leadership has now decided to pull its support for Lasconi who is polling at around just four percent - and has announced that it is endorsing independent Bucharest mayor and former USR founder Nicușor Dan instead.
Only successful as lesser evil
Unlike in November, Lasconi is no longer a competitive candidate, says G4media.ro:
“Still caught up in the euphoria of her success in the first round, the vain and self-satisfied Lasconi is incapable of recognising certain simple truths. Many voters opted for Lasconi because of a lack of alternatives at the time. But her qualities as a potential president failed to inspire enthusiasm. She was a weak candidate, but better than the others: Georgescu, Simion, Ciolacu or Ciucă. The level of her discourse slipped, she has disappointed the USR audience, which is extremely demanding, and she has been unable to boost her popularity.”
No automatic transfer of votes to Dan
In an article published on republica.ro, journalist Florin Negruțiu sees the USR's strategy as flawed:
“The decision, whether good or bad, comes too late now that the ballot papers have already been printed. In a nutshell: Elena Lasconi remains on the ballot. She may also be active in the election campaign, where she can as a 'private individual'. However, the idea that Lasconi's votes can simply be transferred to Nicușor Dan is mistaken. No presidential candidate has their votes stored away at home. Those who vote for Elena Lasconi vote for her as a person and not because she is the leader of the USR. All that has changed is that her party can now back Nicușor Dan's candidacy with money and logistics.”
The scandal party
Hotnews also questions whether the USR gamble will pay off:
“The party conference opted to send her into the race for the presidential palace, but now that the USR leaders have decided she lacks the necessary clout they have abandoned her in battle, leaving her with no munition. ... But if - after the putsch in the USR - Nicușor Dan doesn't run in the snap election, who will take responsibility? If Dan wins, there will be plenty of people taking credit for his success. It's failure that gets dropped like a hot potato. At the end of the day, one thing is always associated with the USR: scandal.”