Today, Romania is holding the first round of its presidential election. According to the Adyrna national portal citing the BBC, this marks the second time the country is electing a president in less than a year.
The re-election comes after Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the results of the previous vote in November, in which pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu was declared the winner. Authorities cited intelligence reports indicating interference from Russia during that election.
This time, 11 candidates are competing for the presidency, including four independents. In the previous election, 13 candidates ran.
Polls show George Simion, leader of the far-right “Alliance for the Union of Romanians” party, is currently in the lead. He was also one of the frontrunners in the annulled November vote. Simion is a vocal supporter of unifying Romania and Moldova—a stance that has led to him being banned from entering Moldova multiple times. He has called Vladimir Putin a war criminal but opposes sending weapons to Ukraine. Simion is also known for his Eurosceptic views and homophobic statements.
Several other candidates are considered strong contenders for the second round, including Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan; Crin Antonescu, the joint candidate of Romania’s three ruling parties (the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania); and former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, running as an independent.
Polls suggest these candidates could all receive more than 20% of the vote in the first round.
Elena Lasconi, who came in third in the November vote and represents the centrist-right Save Romania Union, is not expected to advance to the runoff this time.
The second round is scheduled for May 18. Around 19 million Romanian citizens are eligible to vote.
The President of Romania serves as both the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president is elected for a five-year term and holds significant powers in national security and foreign policy.
