Voting has begun in Romania to elect a new president, although it is expected that there will be a second round

This article was originally published in English

Voting has begun in Romania for the first round of presidential elections, the first in a series of votes before the end of the year. a week later Assembly elections on 1st DecemberThe Romanian political landscape may change a lot before 2024.

Who are the candidates?

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, backed by Romania’s largest party, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), is leading the polls. Ciolaku has said that he has “A clear plan for a more developed Romania that leaves no one behindAn internal plan based on economic growth in investment and a plan for a more respected and influential Romania abroad.”

“unfortunately, We have political leaders who challenge our presence in the EU and NATO (…) I believe that extremists should be politically isolated and should not be ignored by any government,” the PSD leader said.

Unlike its close neighbors, Poland and the Baltic countries, Romania appears relatively calm on issues such as the war in Ukraine and Russian influence in the former Soviet republics.

This is largely due to President Klaus Iohannis. He has been in this position since 2014 And silence on international political matters has become his trademark, despite the fact that the Romanian Constitution establishes that the President is the country’s most important voice on the international stage. Ciolaku currently has around 24% support in opinion polls. and represents the conservative and nationalist wing of the PSD.

But far-right nationalists george simion There is also a chance to win, as it is currently listed Second place with 15%He heads the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) and is a staunch anti-European nationalist.

,I want Romanians to realize that leaders are those who rule, not those who merely rule“The leader of the Coalition for the Unity of the Romanian People was announced to the press in Bucharest on Wednesday.

Candidate, 38 years, who Banned from entry to Moldova and Ukraine after suggesting that part of their territory should belong to RomaniaHe has also denied unproven allegations that he has ties to Russian secret services.

Apart from Ciolaku and Simeone, the other leading candidates are Elena LasconiSave from the Romania Union Party, former Deputy Secretary General of NATO Mircea Zionawhich is presented freely, and nikolay siukaFormer army general and Prime Minister of the centre-right National Liberal Party, which currently forms a tense coalition with the PSD.

The presidency lasts for five years and has the power to make important decisions in areas such as national security and foreign policy. 19,000 polling stations are open across Romania Record 950 for foreign voters,

“I repeat, the number of polling stations that Romania has opened abroad is a record. No country in the world opens more than 900 polling stations abroad.“, declared Toni Grebla, president of Romania’s Permanent Electoral Authority, earlier this week.