Romania has been thrown into political chaos as hundreds of protesters flooded the streets of Bucharest, following the startling victory of a far-right populist in the first round of the presidential race.

This upheaval comes right before parliamentary elections that are crucial for deciding Romania’s next government and prime minister, both significant positions for the European Union and NATO member state.

The tension is palpable with a sign declaring “Better to be dead than a fascist,” capturing the mood amidst this turmoil.

Coming off as a shocker, especially since he was polling under 10% previously, a far-right politician who has openly expressed admiration for Romanian fascist leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin took the lead in the Nov. 24 election.

Calin Georgescu’s unexpected win places him against the reformist contender Elena Lasconi from the Save Romania Union party in a runoff slated for Dec. 8.

Surrounded by controversies and uncertainties shadowing the upcoming parliamentary vote this Sunday, young Romanians like 18-year-old student Sebastian Marin, who protested on Wednesday, underscore the civic dissent. “He’s pro-Russia, pro-Putin, and we, the people — and especially the young people — we are supporting democracy,” Marin stated. “It’s really important for people to mobilize.”

These demonstrations have become a nightly occurrence across Romania as citizens voice their opposition to Georgescu’s inflammatory past comments and his potential threat to democratic values—a surge in popularity fueled, surprisingly, by his social media presence on TikTok.

A report by Expert Forum, a Bucharest-based think tank, suggests that the sudden surge in popularity of Georgescu’s TikTok account seems “appears sudden and artificial, similar to his polling results.”

Romania’s top defense body, without directly mentioning Georgescu who reported zero campaign expenditure, stated on Thursday that “a presidential candidate benefited from massive exposure due to preferential treatment” provided by TikTok. The body further added that Romania has become a “priority target for hostile actions” by Russia, a claim that the Kremlin denies.

On the same day, following a complaint lodged by a former presidential candidate who secured 1% votes alleging violation of electoral laws by the Save Romania Union, the Constitutional Court called for a recount of all 9.4 million votes. The Central Election Bureau approved this request, setting a deadline of 10.00p.m. Sunday for scanned reports to be submitted.

However, the court deferred its decision on whether to nullify the vote until Monday. Meanwhile, outside the government headquarters, chants of “Democracy saves Romania!” could be heard from people of all ages, predominantly the youth.

Expressing concern over the situation, 28-year-old computer programmer Andrei Ienculescu-Popovici told The Associated Press: “I find it a bit worrying that these elections are so close together,” adding that “At the moment, almost no one talks about the parliamentary elections… it has become a non-topic.”

He expressed concerns over the decision to recount the vote, which has been criticized by pro-democracy groups and Save Romania Union for lacking transparency. “These are strange and unprecedented times for our young and fragile democracy … this move will probably only benefit the extreme right-wing parties,” he remarked.

A protest in Bucharest, spearheaded by the “Corruption Kills” community on Friday, called for “that the votes be recounted with independent observers and cameras” while accusing the Constitutional Court of “once again attacking democracy” to favor a particular party. For the first time in 35 years since the end of communism in Romania, the leftist Social Democratic Party was without a candidate in the presidential runoff.

Following a narrow defeat to Lasconi by just 2,740 votes, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stepped down as party leader, and Nicolae Ciuca also resigned from his position at the helm of the center-right National Liberal Party after securing a mere 8.7%. While the Romanian president holds substantial authority over national security and foreign policy, it is the prime minister who leads the government.

The upcoming Sunday vote is pivotal in shaping the country’s 466-seat legislature.