Incumbent President Klaus Iohannis is the winner of the first round of the presidential elections in Romania. In a decisive second round on November 24, he will face the social democratic former prime minister Viorica Dancila.
Iohannis received just over 38 percent of the vote, while Dancila gained 22 percent. The third candidate, newcomer and independent Dan Barna, is estimated at around 16 percent. This is significantly more than expected based on earlier polls.
According to the Romanian Electoral Commission, which expects to release part of the official results on Monday, voter turnout was around 48 percent. A record 600,000 Romanians voted abroad.
Iohannis, known for his pro-European stance, has been head of state since 2014. He campaigned against corrupt politicians and agreed with European criticism of Romania’s flawed judiciary and widespread corruption. He is expected to win the second round. However, it remains to be seen what supporters of newcomer Dan Barna will do: many of them also view President Iohannis as a representative of the 'old corrupt political guard.'
Social democrat Viorica Dancila was prime minister until a month ago. Her cabinet fell after failing to survive a vote of no confidence. Dancila’s party is under fire following corruption scandals. Parliament Speaker Dragnea, also a social democrat, was sentenced in May to 3.5 years in prison for abuse of power.
Although the coalition of social democrats and the liberal ALDE has governed the country since 2016, Dancila was the third prime minister. Her grip on power weakened when ALDE left the coalition in August.