In the first round of Romania's presidential elections, the current Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is in the lead.

In the second round, it is likely that Marcello Cholaku and Elena Laskoni will compete against each other.

https://zaxid.net/u_pershomu_turi_prezidentskih_viboriv_v_rumuniyi_lidiruye_chinniy_premyer_marchel_cholaku_n15984442024-11-25 10:36:36

On Sunday, November 24, the first round of presidential elections took place in Romania. According to exit polls, the incumbent Prime Minister and leader of the left-wing "Social Democratic Party," Marcel Ciolacu, is in the lead with 25% of the votes. Also advancing to the second round is the leader of the centrist liberal party "Union for the Salvation of Romania," Elena Lasconi. This is reported by the Romanian news site Digi24.

Polling stations in Romania opened at 07:00 and operated until 21:00. After the polls closed, the results of two exit polls were announced live. Currently, these data do not include votes from citizens abroad.

According to the CIRA-AVANGARDE-INSOMAR exit poll:

Marcel Ciolacu 25%
Elena Lasconi 18%
Calin Georgescu 16%
George Simion 15%
Nicolae Ciucă 14%
Mircea Joana 5%
Kelemen Hunor 4%
Christian Diaconescu 2%

According to the CURS exit poll:

Marcel Ciolacu has 25%
Elena Lasconi 18.1%
Calin Georgescu 16%
George Simion 14.1%
Nicolae Ciucă 13%
Mircea Joana 5.5%

Since none of the candidates surpassed the 50% threshold, a second round of presidential elections will take place on December 8. Additionally, parliamentary elections are scheduled for December 1 in Romania.

It is worth noting that Romania has actively supported Ukraine since the onset of the full-scale invasion. In particular, the country has provided the Defense Forces with Patriot air defense systems and military equipment. Furthermore, Romania has committed to covering the costs of training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. Romania's foreign policy is overseen by the president, so Ukraine has received significant assistance with the support of the current president, Klaus Iohannis. As this is his second presidential term, he is not eligible to participate in this year's elections according to Romanian law.

The 56-year-old Marcel Ciolacu, who is currently the Prime Minister, also supports Ukraine, particularly in its aspirations to join the European Union and NATO. The 52-year-old Elena Lasconi, leader of the centrist liberal party "Union for the Salvation of Romania," also holds a pro-Ukrainian stance. She has stated that Ukrainians should not make territorial concessions to Russia, believing that the Russian dictator Putin will not be satisfied with the occupied territories and will not stop.

It should be noted that the Romanian news site Digi24, citing its own sources, reported that Russia is attempting to influence the electoral process in Romania. Specifically, the Kremlin has been accused of various manipulations and supporting pro-Russian candidates.