In Romania, the first round of presidential elections takes place on Sunday. Polls favor the current Prime Minister and head of the Social Democrats, Ion-Marcel Ciolacu. However, according to the media, the far-right nationalist George Simion, who refuses military aid to Ukraine, admires Donald Trump and denies that he is a Russian spy, could become the new head of state.
Polling stations are open from 07:00 to 21:00
As reported by the Reuters agency, the polling stations opened at 07:00. local time (06:00 CET) and close at 21:00 (20:00 CET). Exit polls will be published immediately. Voting by Romanians abroad, which can influence the outcome and where Simion is popular, began already on Friday. Simion was elected in Rome.
The second round of elections is scheduled for December 8. In the meantime, next Sunday (December 1st) parliamentary elections are also being held. The mandate of the president in Romania is five years and he has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security and foreign policy.
The outgoing 65-year-old president Klaus Iohannis was elected to the office twice. During his tenure since 2014, he has consolidated Romania’s strong pro-Western position, but he has been criticized for not doing enough to fight corruption.
Opinion polls suggest that 56-year-old leftist Ciolacu will advance to the second round along with 38-year-old Simion of the Alliance for the Unification of Romanians.
Analysts expect Ciolaca to win as he appeals to moderate voters and touts his experience leading the country during the war in neighboring Ukraine. However, they do not rule out a possible change due to frustration with the high cost of living. However, according to them, the prospects of Ciolacu’s fight with Simion could mobilize the center-right voters in favor of Elena Lasconi, head of the opposition party Save Romania.
Simion described the presidential election as a choice between an entrenched political class that bows to foreign interests in Brussels and him, a supposed outsider, who will defend Romania’s economy and sovereignty. Reuters notes that Romania has the largest share of people at risk of poverty in the EU. He also told foreign media earlier this week that he “takes as his model the right-wing government” of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Italy.
Another candidate for the post of president is the chairman of the Romanian Senate, Nicolae Ciuca. The leader of the Liberal Party, which is currently in a tense government coalition with Prime Minister Ciolacu’s Social Democrats, is currently trailing Lasconi, according to polls. A total of 13 candidates are vying for the favor of voters.
Since the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Romania has allowed millions of tons of grain to be exported through its Black Sea port of Constanta. It has also provided military aid to Kyiv, including the donation of a Patriot air defense system battery. For security reasons, Simion is banned from entering Moldova and Ukraine, the Euronews portal added.
