On Sunday, November 24, the first round of the presidential election began in Romania. Polling stations opened across the country at 7 a.m. and will close at 9 p.m. Voting may be extended if there are queues. This was reported by UNN with reference to Digi24.
As of 9:30 a.m. Romanian time , the first million votes have been registered at polling stations across the country. The turnout is 5.52%. The presidential candidate, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, voted on Sunday morning at a school in Bucharest.
"I voted for an economically strong Romania, for a Romania with a strong voice in the world, for a Romania in which Romanians have a decent life, and finally, I voted for a Romania whose president works for the good of the country and its people. We voted for as many victories as possible for Romanians and Romania, such as the latest victory won a few days ago - full accession to the Schengen area. I voted for stability, for social balance and justice, and for peace. We all want a better life and we want to be the Romanians we are. And I am firmly convinced that after this election campaign, we will become that way," Ciolacu said as he left the polling station.
There are 13 candidates running in the election. The first round favorite is the current Romanian Prime Minister, Social Democrat Marcel Ciolacu. His main rival is the leader of the far-right Union for Romanian Unity (AUR), Gheorghe Simion.
On December 1, Romania will also hold parliamentary elections, and on December 8, if necessary, a second round of presidential elections.