Bucharest, Romania – Independent candidate Calin Georgescu has edged into a slim lead in Romania’s presidential election, securing 21.9% of the vote with 77% of ballots counted, according to partial results released late Sunday night.
Trailing closely behind is Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, chairman of the Social Democratic Party, with 21.3%. Elena Lasconi, leader of the Save Romania Union, holds third place at 16.3%, while George Simion of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians follows with 14.5%.
Key regions, including the capital Bucharest with 930,000 votes and the diaspora accounting for 820,000 votes, remain largely uncounted. These areas represent a significant portion — 1.7 million of the 2.8 million votes yet to be tallied — and are expected to heavily influence the election’s first-round outcome.
Exit polls suggest Lasconi could perform strongly in these uncounted regions, potentially closing her 450,000-vote gap with Ciolacu. Should she surpass him, the anticipated runoff could shift from a Georgescu-Ciolacu contest to a Georgescu-Lasconi face-off.
With a substantial number of votes still pending, analysts warn that the race remains too close to call. The candidate who will challenge Georgescu in the runoff hinges on the uncounted ballots from these pivotal areas. The nation awaits the final results with anticipation.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
