Romania is reeling after a little-known, far-right populist secured the first round in the presidential election. Calin Georgescu was ahead Monday after nearly all ballots were counted with around 22.

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's political landscape is reeling after a little-known, far-right populist secured the first round in the presidential election, going from an obscure candidate to beating the incumbent prime minister. Calin Georgescu, who ran independently, will face off against reformist Elena Lasconi in a Dec. 8. runoff.

BUCHAREST - Independent candidate Calin Georgescu maintains a commanding lead in Romania's presidential election with 22.84 percent of the vote, according to near-complete results from Romania's Permanent Electoral Authority, with over 99.5 percent of ballots counted.

Romania's political landscape is reeling after a little-known, far-right populist secured the first round in Sunday's presidential election, going from an obscure candidate to beating the incumbent prime minister.

Calin Georgescu, who has stunned Romania and its European allies by leading the first round of the eastern European country's presidential election, is a far-right, self-styled outsider critical of NATO and of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The pro-Russian nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu had racked up a definitive 350,000 vote lead in an upset in Romania's presidential election as counting in the first round wound to a finish Monday.

Calin Georgescu, the far-right figure who shocked Romania by taking the lead in the first round of the country's presidential election, is a pro-Russian, anti-vaxxer radical with a gift for social media.