Presidential election calendar in Romania
The Romanian government adopted the decision establishing the presidential election calendar
Roxana Vasile, 29.01.2025, 13:50
On December 6 last year, after having validated the first round, and the second round was already underway at polling stations abroad, the Constitutional Court of Romania, citing interference by a state actor, anulled the presidential elections and decided that the electoral process be resumed in full. So that, less than half a year after this decision, Romanians will be called, again, to the polls. The first round of the election deciding who will hold the highest position in the State will be on May 4, and the second on May 18.
On Tuesday, the PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition Government adopted the decision that establishes the electoral calendar in view of the first round, of May 4. According to the spokesman for the Executive, Mihai Constantin, the electoral period will begin on February 18, with the public announcement of the date on which the drawing of lots will take place for the five judges of the High Court of Cassation and Justice who will be part of the Central Election Bureau. The designation of the five will be done by February 20, so that the bureau is set up by February 22 at the latest.
Mihai Constantin has the details: ʺThe deadline for submitting candidacies to the Central Electoral Bureau by parties, political and electoral alliances, organizations of citizens belonging to national minorities and independent candidates is March 15, 2025, 24:00. The election campaign will start 30 days before the date of the elections, namely on April 4, 2025, and will end on May 3, 2025, at 7:00 a.m. Voting in Romania will take place on May 4, 2025, starting at 7:00 a.m. and ending at 9:00 p.m.
At the 950 polling stations organized abroad, voting will take place over three days: on the first two days, on May 2 and 3, they will be open from 7:00 a.m. local time to 9:00 p.m. local time. If, at closing hour, there are still people in the station or in line, the voting schedule can be extended until 11:59 p.m. The third day of voting abroad – May 4 – will have a peculiarity. Voting will start at 7:00 a.m. local time and end at 9:00 p.m. local time, with one condition: that the 9:00 p.m. local time abroad is not later than 9:00 p.m., Romanian time.
The decision was made in order not to leave a time gap that could influence the vote after the closing of the polling stations in Romania, due to time zone differences. It should also be said that Romanian voters abroad have the possibility of voting by mail, by registering on the portal www.votstrainatate.ro Also for the presidential elections in May, the authorities have decided stricter rules for the election campaign, especially on the Internet, and non-compliance can lead to fines up to 50,000 lei (about 10 thousand euros), and in the case of large online platforms, up to 5% of their turnover. (MI)
