Romanians will go to the polls on Sunday, May 4 to elect their next president in the first round of the "Practice" election, the second poll in six months.
Eastern European countries had previously held a presidential election on November 24, 2024, and far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, who voted in unit numbers during the campaign, achieved a surprising victory.
The result was abolished after reports that Russia's election intervened in support of Georgescu's report that it had put the country in a political crisis.
The Romanian Election Bureau banned pro-Moscow independence in March. He is now under criminal investigation.
Here is all you need to know about redo voting and the top competitors:
When and when will Romania open up polls?
The poll will be open on Sunday, May 4 at 7 a.m. GMT at 18:00 a.m. GMT.
Voters can vote at any of the 18,979 polling stations nationwide. There will also be a 965 stations in countries with large expatriate communities, including Malta, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Germany, France, Moldova and the United States.
How does the presidential election work in Romania?
The president was elected for five years in two voting systems. The president can serve up to two terms.
Candidates must receive more than 50% of all registered votes to be declared as winners in the first round.
If no candidate reaches the 50% threshold on May 4, runoff will be held between the two top top champions on May 18. The candidate with the most votes will be declared the winner.
What are the main issues in promoting this election?
Wages and inflation
The rise in food and other basic knowledge in the country may be the biggest factor in people's choice to vote.
The country's economy has been steadily declining for decades, forcing many young people to seek jobs abroad. Nearly one-third of the population faces poverty.
corruption
Anger at how institutional parties operate the country has been deeply rooted since the fall of the Communist government in 1989.
According to Transparent International, Romania scored in the four bottom four countries in Europe. Voters usually have little trust in public institutions and politicians.
Ideological divide
Romania, like several other European countries, faces growing questions in the population about its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. More right-leaning voters oppose Kiev’s additional support.
Overall, voters disagree between the governments that want the government to be from the West and closer to Russia, as well as those in the pro-European Union and NATO.
This gap is reflected in the composition of the Romanian parliament.
After the parliamentary elections on December 1 last year, pro-European parties in Romania gathered together to form a majority government to keep far-right nationalists out.
The Ruling League of Romanian Nationals was formed when the polls that were first in the December general election but failed to get a majority, reaching an agreement with the center-right National Liberal Party (PNL), reformists bail out the Romanian League Party (USR) and the small-national Hengaria People's Party.
Overall, the league is in the Senate, with 58 of the 134 seats in the House of Lords and 135 of the 331 seats representing the basement.
On the anti-EU side, the most popular party is the far-right alliance of the League of Romanians (AUR), led by presidential candidate George Simion. It has 28 seats in the Senate and 61 seats in the Representative Chamber.
Romania is also a far-right party, with 12 seats in the Senate and 28 seats in the Representative Chamber. The far-right young men (Pot) occupy 24 senior executives and 7 upper seats. Overall, these shocked European parties have 113 seats in the chamber, far behind the 135 seats in the ruling coalition.
Given this gap, the EU will focus on this presidential election.
Who is the main competitor?
George Simion, 38
According to Politico's poll, the right-wing, Eurosceptics are the leader of the Alliance of the Romanians (AUR) alliance and are currently leading the polls with the support of 30% of voters as of April 26.
Simion, considered pro-Moscow (like Georgescu, a former member of AUR), and supported by the nationalist camp, criticized the decision to abolish the controversial November election.
He opposes same-sex marriage and is a type of person infected by the euro. He also said he was opposed to sending aid to Ukraine.
He advocated the regaining of territory from Ukraine and Moldova, which once belonged to Romania. In May 2015, Moldova announced that Simion was declared "role nongrata" and banned from entering the country for five years, citing him as "hiding national security." The ban was renewed for another five years in February 2024.
In 2019, Simion supported the parliamentary elections of two former officers accused of suppressing revolutionaries in 1989.
Crin Antonescu, 65
Independent candidates and long-term politicians are supported by the more middle-middle Social Democratic and National Liberal Party Coalition (PSD-PNL).
According to Politico's poll on the poll, as of April 26, Antonescu, once acting president and head of the Senate, had 24% voting rights.
He supports Romania's EU and NATO members. He also favors more assistance to Ukraine.
Antonescu highlights his political experience on the campaign.
Nicusor Dan, 55 years old
The activist and mathematician is the mayor of Bucharest, who has held the position since 2011. He is running as an independent candidate for the anti-corruption vote and has a 22% turnout.
For more than a decade, before becoming mayor, Dan opposed the demolition of the capital's heritage buildings and opposed the conversion of the park to a construction site.
He is supported by the Liberal Party, who support closer ties with the EU and hopes to prevent the rise of right-wing candidates like Simon, but not the centrist-ruling coalition.
Dan was re-elected as mayor last June, surprised him when he announced his campaign after the presidential election that was cancelled in November.
His campaign promise is to reform institutions, get rid of corruption and inefficiency, and increase defense spending. He also hopes to unite the Romanians ideology.
Victor Ponta, 52 years old
According to Politico, the Prime Minister was also an independent candidate in the election until 2014 under the leadership of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), with a 10% poll conducted at the end of April.
However, his job at the highest job was charged with tax evasion and money laundering, which eventually forced him to resign. In 2018, the court accused him of accusation, marking his comeback in politics.
Ponta is currently the legislator representing the Chamber.
He highlighted the theme of nationalist and protectionism in his campaign: he opposed the purchase of Ukrainian grains and wanted to protect the interests of Romanian farmers.
Elena Lasconi, 53
Lasconi is a journalist and principal in southern central Romania. She is very popular among free voters.
She is serving as a party leader, Save the Romanian Union (USR), and in Politico's poll, his poll was 7%.
Lasconi is second in the November election and will face Georgescu before being abolished.
As mayor, she favors EU support, and her office said campuses allow parks and other critical infrastructure to be built on campuses.
What power does the Romanian president have?
The President of Romania is the head of state and can issue official decrees.
Under the Constitution, the president has the right to nominate the Prime Minister, which must then be approved by parliament.
The president has no right to dismiss the Prime Minister once was in place, although he can appoint acting Prime Minister if the current Prime Minister is incapable of his ability. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet have ultimate control in operating the country.
Although the constitution requires the president to remain neutral, if Sinho does win the presidency, it will leave him ideologically contradicting the coalition government.