Deputy Secretary-General of NATO, Mircea Geoană, is set to launch a book titled “The Battle for Romania’s Future” on November 24, 2023, at the Gaudeamus Book Fair. According to a preview of this book, quoted by Digi24, it serves as a political manifesto for the upcoming presidential elections in late 2024. Mircea Geoană suggests he will run as an independent candidate, supported by a recently established civic platform called Romania 2030 Project.
The hypothesis of Geoană’s independent candidacy is implied in the text of the book “The Battle for Romania’s Future – Thoughts of a Romanian at the Top of NATO,” scheduled for release in the coming days at Gaudeamus. Geoană states that Romania is in a more perilous situation than other nations, trapped in a vicious cycle of incompetence and domestic corruption compared to economic and public service disparities in the West. He criticizes past presidents for maintaining ties with their former parties and failing to unite the nation around significant internal and external objectives.
The possibility of Geoană’s independent candidacy is further supported by a comparison he makes with the president of the Czech Republic in the book. He cites the recent example of the Czech president (a former NATO Military Committee commander) who ran as an independent, preferably with political support but with the ability to propose and, if necessary, impose an agenda beyond narrow party interests. The Czech president won with broad support, not dependent on parties.
In his book, Mircea Geoană extensively discusses a “National Project,” expressing the desire for a national rebirth leading to a historic leap in development and prosperity, allowing Romania to rapidly recover lost ground in Europe. He emphasizes the need to leverage the entire national potential to change the negative perception of Romania and outlines the main directions of the National Project that could restore dignity to Romanians.