Romania prepares for the repeat presidential vote
In Romania's upcoming presidential election happening on May 4 and May 18, 2025, a redo of the previously annulled contest, far-right populist George Simion takes the lead in all polls. The previous vote was scrapped due to reports of potential Russian interference.
Eleven candidates are vying for the presidential seat, with only a few of the initial contenders participating in this round. Notably, Călin Georgescu, who won the annulled first round, will not be competing this time, as the electoral authority and constitutional court barred him from running again.
The Contenders:- George Simion, the presidential candidate of the far-right party AUR, stands as the frontrunner.- Crin Antonescu, the coalition candidate representing the post-communist social democrats (PSD), liberals (PNL), and conservative Hungarian Democrats (UDMR).- Nicușor Dan, the independent candidate and current mayor of Bucharest, enjoys significant support among pro-European voters.- Victor Ponta, a former Prime Minister, also runs as an independent with a sovereignist platform.
The Race for the Runoff:While opinion polls show Simion as the winner of the first round, it is unlikely anyone will secure an absolute majority. The identification of the runner-up is uncertain.
A poll conducted by AtlasIntel between April 17 and 21 reveals Simion leads with 31.9%, followed by coalition candidate Crin Antonescu and independent candidate Nicușor Dan, who are almost tied with 22.6% and 22% respectively. Victor Ponta received 10.2%, while Elena Lasconi, previous USR presidential candidate, has minimal chances of reaching the final round.
Given Dan's strong poll numbers, there is concern within the coalition ranks, particularly from UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor, who warns the coalition will collapse by autumn if Antonescu loses. As a result, the PSD is launching an anti-Ponta campaign to persuade local politicians to support Antonescu.
Tensions arise among PSD mayors, who face a conflict between their former leader Ponta and Crin Antonescu. The party leader Marcel Ciolacu has responded by ordering "unprecedented mobilization" in support of the coalition candidate.
According to Romanian pollsters, Simion has a slim chance of winning the runoff. Surveys suggest he would only triumph against Victor Ponta (36 to 26 percent), whereas he would likely lose to Crin Antonescu (44 to 39 percent) or Nicușor Dan (42 to 39 percent) in the final round.
- The policy-and-legislation landscape in Romania could potentially see a significant shift if far-right populist George Simion, the leading candidate and presidential contender of the AUR party, were to win the upcoming presidential election.
- As the annulled candidates list for the Romanian presidential election has reduced to eleven, some contenders, like Călin Georgescu who won the previous round, have decided not to participate in the redo of the election due to certain restrictions.
- In General-news, the political race in Romania continues to be marked by ongoing debates, interference concerns, and allegations, with the upcoming contest being no exception, as all the candidates give accounts of their policies and promises in their campaigns.
- Despite record-high levels of support shown in the survey conducted by AtlasIntel, the Romania's upcoming presidential election's results remain unpredictable, with the race for the runoff being a tight competition among Georg Simion, Crin Antonescu, Nicușor Dan, and Victor Ponta, the potential key candidates.
