The last week of the election campaign
The election campaign for the second round of the presidential election is in its last days
Ştefan Stoica, 12.05.2025, 14:00
Romania’s Constitutional Court on Friday endorsed the results of the first round of the presidential election, allowing for the debut of the election campaign for the presidential runoff. The aforementioned campaign kicked off on Monday and is going to end on May 17 at 7 hours local time. The runoff will be pitching George Simion, the leader and the candidate backed by the Alliance for the Union of the Romanians (AUR), the second largest Parliament party and the independent Nicuşor Dan, at his second mandate as the mayor of Bucharest. In the first round on May 4th, Simion mustered 41% of the votes, whereas Dan 21%. Voter turnout stood a little over 53% out of the 18 million eligible voters. George Simion also ran in the presidential election last year, when he got under 14% of the votes. However, the first round of the presidential election last year got cancelled by the country’s Constitutional Court, which ruled the election process had been affected by foreign interferences in favour of the pro-Russia extremist Calin Georgescu.
The AUR leader, Simion, decided to join the presidential race after the same Court banned Georgescu’s candidature in the 2025 election. Nicusor Dan is at his first candidature for the presidential seat. He announced his intention to run in the presidential election last year after the unprecedented Constitutional Court ruling, which threw the country’s political stage in turmoil.
The presidential finals is practically pitching the representative of the radical nationalist-populists and self-proclaimed sovereignists, and the representative of the pro-Western camp.
A declared fan of the Trump administration, George Simion has been a vehement critic of many EU decisions, particularly of the agenda, which is considered globalist and which he believes Brussels wants to impose. He is against granting support to Ukraine, a state on whose territory he is not allowed to enter. He has also been declared persona-non grata by the authorities of the Republic of Moldova. On the other side, Nicusor Dan openly supports the country’s belonging in the European Union and NATO and is pleading for state reforms, combating corruption and improving justice.
Just like in the first round, the Romanian nationals residing abroad can cast their ballot in the 965 polling stations available outside Romania, 15 more than in the presidential and parliamentary election in 2024. Most of these polling stations are in Italy and Malta, 161, Spain 147, Britain 108, France and Monaco, 69, the Republic of Moldova, 64 and the United States, 50. Voters from outside Romania will be able to cast their ballots on three days, 16, 17 and 18 of May starting 7 hours local time. Polls close at 21 hours local time on Friday and Saturday, whereas on Sunday at 21 hours Romania’s time. In Romania, voters will have only one day, May 18, to cast their ballot.
(bill)
