Romanian presidential election to be held on March 23
Romania will hold presidential elections again next year (photo: Getty Images)
The ruling coalition in Romania has decided on the date of the presidential re-election. The first round should take place in March, according to Digi 24.
The newspaper cites sources as saying that the coalition has decided on the dates. The first round is to take place on March 23, and the second on April 6, 2025.
The pro-European coalition of the Social Democratic Party of the current Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the National Liberal Party, and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR has already announced its support for Crin Antonescu as a single candidate.
Among others, Elena Lasconi of the Romanian Salvation Union will run, as well as independent candidates Călin Georgescu, Nicușor Dan, and Daniel Funeriu.
The presidential election will be repeated after the Romanian Constitutional Court decided to cancel the first round, which took place in late November.
Scandalous elections in Romania
The first round of elections was held on November 24, 2024. According to its results, center-right politician Elena Lasconi and far-right Călin Georgescu made it to the second round. This was the first time since 2000 that a nationalist candidate made it to the second round, and the first time in the post-communist period that a social democrat did not make it to the second round.
Georgescu's result was unexpected, believed to have been secured by an aggressive TikTok campaign, and protests against the candidate erupted in Bucharest and a number of cities. According to the analysis of G4 Media, the candidate established a “propaganda machine” through thousands of accounts.
Later, the Constitutional Court received a petition to annul the first round, and the Supreme National Defense Council called for an investigation into attacks on electoral infrastructure and illegal campaigning in favor of Georgescu. TikTok admitted that it had received 362 thousand euros, although Georgescu himself said that he had not spent a single euro.
After information about foreign interference was declassified, the first round of elections was canceled.
Read more in RBC-Ukraine's separate article Why Romania annulled presidential election results and what’s next.
Far-right candidate Călin Georgescu is in favor of ending military aid to Ukraine.
