Digi24 and Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca organized on Monday, November 18, the only electoral debate that aimed to bring together in the same studio the main candidates for presidential elections. Marcel Ciolacu, Nicolae Ciucă, Mircea Geoană, Elena Lasconi, George Simion, Kelemen Hunor, Ludovic Orban and Cristian Diaconescu were invited to participate. Two of the candidates did not honor the invitation: Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciucă. The debate was moderated by journalists Liliana Ruse and Cosmin Prelipceanu, and the format was created in partnership with Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca.
The surprise of the debate came right from the beginning when the candidate supported by the PMP and the Forța Dreptei in the 2024 presidential elections, Ludovic Orban, announced that he was withdrawing from the race and supporting Elena Lasconi, from the USR, for the position of president. “Today, together with my colleagues, I made a decision that I consider necessary. We made the decision to continue the electoral campaign, but this campaign should be in support of the candidate Elena Lasconi,” said Orban.
“I believe it is fundamental to withdraw from the presidential race, because Romania needs decency, common sense and authentic democracy,” he added.
Asked if he had recently met with former President Traian Basescu, Orban said: “The meetings I have are private meetings. Who I meet with in private is my problem. But, if you are interested in why I made the decision to support Elena Lasconi, the reason is very simple, it is a logical, natural decision, which starts from the reality that PSD and PNL, piloted by Iohannis and the system, have brought us to, in which they make fun of democracy and try to direct a second round that has nothing to do with the real options of the citizens. I withdrew from the race because I realized that if I stay in the race, even if I get a good result, my presence in the race may bring the risk that we will wake up with the same mafia in power, led by the same people. I don’t know if you saw the Recorder report, to see the system that built this undemocratic power, this power that makes fun of people, this power that believes it can arrange elections without any respect for the people who exercise their right to vote. That’s why I withdrew so that you can come to an agreement with my colleagues from the Alliance of Right Forces.“
In response, Elena Lasconi thanked Orban and urged more parties and movements to join in supporting her.
“Thank you, Mr. Orban, I respect you very much. Thank you for the trust and I appeal to the other center-right forces to take this step to have a new beginning.I think of REPER, of Vlad Gheorghe, I think of them very much”, Elena Lasconi reacted.
Independent candidate Mircea Geoană and USR candidate Elena Lasconi attacked each other during Monday night’s presidential debate on Digi24. At one point, the topic the two clashed over was related to former President Traian Băsescu. Elena Lasconi consistently pointed out during the electoral debate that Mircea Geoană’s past is linked to the PSD. At one point, when Geoană was talking about the position he held at NATO, Lasconi reacted ironically: “Bravo PSD! Congratulations PSD”.