Presidential elections begin in Romania

Polling stations have officially opened across Romania for the presidential election, News.Az reports.

A total of 19,000 polling stations began operating at 7:00 AM local time (8:00 AM Moscow time). Meanwhile, Romanian citizens living abroad began casting their votes on November 22, with a three-day voting period allocated for them.
The presidential elections in Romania occur every five years. The country does not impose a voter turnout threshold, meaning the election will be considered valid regardless of the number of participants.

Candidates for the presidency

Thirteen candidates are vying for the presidency, including:

• Mircea Geoană, former NATO Deputy Secretary General and former leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP),


• Marcel Ciolacu, the current SDP leader and Prime Minister of Romania,


• Nicolae Ciucă, Senate Speaker and head of the National Liberal Party,


• Elena Lasconi, leader of the "Union to Save Romania."

According to Romanian law, a candidate must secure more than half of the votes to win in the first round. If no candidate achieves this, a runoff election will be held two weeks later, with the winner determined by a simple majority.

U.S. presidential election results

On November 5, the United States also held its presidential election. The race featured Kamala Harris, representing the Democratic Party, and Donald Trump, representing the Republican Party. To win, a candidate needed at least 270 electoral votes.
Trump emerged victorious with 312 electoral votes, while Harris secured 226. The electors are set to cast their votes in alignment with the election results on December 17. The inauguration of the 47th President of the United States will take place on January 20, 2025.

Controversy surrounding Romania's outgoing president

In a related incident, the Romanian President faced criticism after a video surfaced showing him turning his back during an official event. The episode drew sharp remarks from Russian senators.

News.Az