A run-off between Calin Giurgescu and Marcel Ciolacu in Romania's presidential elections

Giurgescu wins 22.53% of the vote. The incumbent Prime Minister Ciolacu remains in second position with 19.62%.
Calin Giurgescu has overtaken Marcel Ciolacu and is leading in the first round of Romania's presidential elections, according to the results of a nearly 100% official vote count, BGNES reports.
Giurgescu, a former special rapporteur at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, won 22.53% of the vote. The incumbent Prime Minister Cholaku remains in second position with 19.62%. The third place is occupied by Elena Lasconi with 18.77 percent. Jorge Simion of the right wing gets 13.96 percent support and former Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca - 8.91 percent.
As none of the candidates collected 50% in the first round, a run-off will be held between the top two on 8 December.
Turnout was 52.53% or 9 461 149 people. More than 800 000 Romanians abroad have exercised their right to vote, Aggerpress reports. A local referendum was also held in Bucharest.
More than 300 reports of violations of the electoral process were submitted, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. More than 80 fines were imposed.
The country's new president will take office on 21 December 2024.
Calin Djordescu is described as a far-right and pro-Russian politician.
Initially, exit polls showed Marcel Ciolacu leading by a comfortable margin, with Giurgescu in third place, suggesting that he would not make it to a second round in next month's election.
Whatever the result, "the far right is the big winner in these elections", political analyst Cristian Pirvulescu told AFP.
Another nationalist candidate, Giorgio Simion, is currently in fourth place.
The result would be a political earthquake in the NATO member state of 19 million, which has so far defied nationalist sentiment by distancing itself from Hungary and Slovakia.
High stakes
Ciolacu's Social Democratic Party has defined Romania's politics for more than three decades and in the election campaign he promised citizens stability and a "decent" standard of living.
With growing concerns about inflation and the war in neighbouring Ukraine, the right has clearly gained a strong position ahead of the vote.
In recent days, Giurgescu ran a very successful TikTok campaign calling for an end to aid to Ukraine. He also expressed scepticism about Romania's NATO membership.
"Tonight the Romanian people called for peace. And they shouted very loudly, extremely loudly," he said after election day ended.
Giorgio Simion capitalized on voter anger against inflation by promising more affordable housing.
Seeking another electoral breakthrough for Europe's far-right parties, he was warned of possible "fraud" and "foreign interference" in the vote.
The stakes are high for Romania, which has a 650-kilometre border with Ukraine.
The Black Sea state now plays a strategic role for NATO, as it is a base for more than 5,000 soldiers, as well as for the transit of Ukrainian grain.
The campaign has been marked by controversy and personal attacks, with Simion accused of meeting Russian spies - an allegation he has denied.
Cholaku was criticised for using private jets.
Some observers pointed to Elena Lasconi, mayor of the small town of Kampulung and head of a centre-right opposition party, as a promising surprise. However, she is currently third.
Political analyst Pirvulescu said the far-right's success could have a "contagion effect" in parliamentary elections scheduled for December, making it difficult to form a stable coalition. | BGNES