May 17, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 17.05.2025, 13:55
ELECTIONS As many as 302,620 voters had gone to the polls abroad by noon on Saturday, to vote in the second round of the presidential elections, according to data provided in real time by the Permanent Electoral Authority. The largest numbers of voters were reported in the UK – 46,466, Italy – 44,968, Germany – 42,763, the Republic of Moldova – 42,574, and Spain – 32,045. In the 965 polling stations in the diaspora organised for this year’s presidential elections, Romanian citizens who are abroad on election day can vote on Friday through Sunday, regardless of whether they reside outside the country or not. In Romania, voting will take place over a single day, Sunday, May 18, in 18,979 polling stations. Running in the decisive round of the presidential election are the leader of AUR (nationalist opposition), George Simion, also supported by the Party of Young People (POT), and the independent mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, backed by the parliamentary parties USR, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians and by several parties outside Romania’s Parliament. In the first round, on May 4, Simion received almost 41% of the votes, and Dan about 21%.
CAMPAIGN Around 43,000 employees of the Romanian interior ministry will maintain public safety and ensure the protection of polling stations on election day, the interior ministry spokesperson Monica Dajbog announced on Saturday. According to her no special incidents were reported during the campaign. “42 possible electoral incidents were reported. Approximately 53% of the reports were related to campaign posters. Four reports, which were not within the jurisdiction of the interior ministry, were forwarded to the Permanent Electoral Authority and the Central Electoral Bureau,” Dajbog explained.
VISIT The acting president of Romania Ilie Bolojan visited the European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina – EUFOR Althea. The president was accompanied by the chief of the defence staff, General Gheorghiţă Vlad. In January 2025, Romania took over the command of EUFOR Althea, thus consolidating its active role in supporting peace and stability in the region, according to the Romanian Presidency. This mission is the most important multinational operation in the Western Balkans, carried out under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Romania currently leads 2 of the 9 military missions of the European Union, contributing personnel and equipment. Before the visit to Bosnia, Bolojan was in Tirana, Albania, for the 6th summit of the European Political Community, attended by 47 heads of state and government from countries on the continent.
MUSEUMS More than 75 Romanian institutions, managing a combined 200 venues across the country, take part on Saturday in the White Night of Museums, an event officially supported by the Ministry of Culture for the first time. On this occasion, the participating museums will stay open until late at night, some of them even until 2:00 am. Hundreds of specialists in the field of heritage and museum education organise activities for all categories of public, from the youngest visitors to adults interested in history, art, science and traditions. In Bucharest, the National Museum of Art of Romania offers access to all its 5 permanent galleries and to the historical areas within its head offices. The Bucharest City Hall also opens its doors, with free access and a programme that includes guided tours, exhibitions and live music. Free entry will also be available to the “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of History of Romania, the Bucharest City Museum and all its memorial houses, the Romanian Athenaeum, the Triumphal Arch and the National Theatre Museum.
POLAND The candidate of the Civic Coalition (in power), Rafal Trzaskowski, currently the mayor of Poland’s capital city Warsaw, continues to lead in opinion polls ahead of the first round of the presidential elections on Sunday, with 29-32% of the votes. He is followed by Karol Nawrocki, head of the Institute of National Remembrance in Poland and representing the conservative opposition, the Law and Justice Party (PiS), with 25-27%, and the far-right Confederation party’s candidate Slawomir Mentzen, with 12-13%. If none of the candidates gets at least 50% of the votes in the first round, a runoff will be held on June 1.
PORTUGAL The moderate right-wing ruling coalition, the Democratic Alliance (AD), is seen as the most likely to win Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Portugal, with 34% in voting intention polls. The socialist opposition stands at 26%, and the far-right party Chega (“Enough”) at 19%. AD could win up to 95 seats out of the total 230 in parliament, below the threshold of 116 deputies needed for an absolute majority. According to international media, AD hopes to negotiate the support of the Liberal Initiative party, currently at 7% of the voting intentions. (AMP)
