Romania’s prime minister has decided to pull out of the country’s presidential race, despite the constitutional court ordering a recount of the votes in first round in which he finished third while an independent populist candidate earned a shock victory.
The first round, held on Sunday, saw far-right politician Călin Georgescu, 62, an outsider who had polled in single digits before the vote, surge to victory, raising questions about how such an upset could have occurred.
Centre-right contender Elena Lasconi, leader of the opposition Save Romania Union, came in second, consigning Marcel Ciolacu to third place. The outcome was a major shock, as pre-election opinion polls had projected Ciolacu, who was at the time the leader of the Social Democratic Party, as the frontrunner.
On Thursday, the Romanian Constitutional Court ordered a “unanimous recounting” of the ballots for the November 24 presidential election after conservative candidate Cristian Terheș, who received 1% of the vote, challenged the results.
However, Ciolacu has said that even if the recount changed the outcome in his favor, potentially securing him second place and a spot in the runoff, he has still decided to withdraw from the presidential race.
He wrote on Facebook on Thursday: “Even if it is proven after the recount that I was at a disadvantage, I am announcing that I am withdrawing from the race for the presidency of Romania anyway.
“We must know clearly if the vote was flawed. More directly: if it was stolen!”
Centre-right contender Elena Lasconi, leader of the opposition Save Romania Union, came in second, consigning Marcel Ciolacu to third place. The outcome was a major shock, as pre-election opinion polls had projected Ciolacu, who was at the time the leader of the Social Democratic Party, as the frontrunner.
On Thursday, the Romanian Constitutional Court ordered a “unanimous recounting” of the ballots for the November 24 presidential election after conservative candidate Cristian Terheș, who received 1% of the vote, challenged the results.
However, Ciolacu has said that even if the recount changed the outcome in his favor, potentially securing him second place and a spot in the runoff, he has still decided to withdraw from the presidential race.
He wrote on Facebook on Thursday: “Even if it is proven after the recount that I was at a disadvantage, I am announcing that I am withdrawing from the race for the presidency of Romania anyway.
“We must know clearly if the vote was flawed. More directly: if it was stolen!”
Later edit: pentru că văd că propaganda și-a mai adăugat un punct pe listă. Ca să fie clar pentru toată lumea! Eu sunt...
Opublikowany przez Marcela Ciolacu Czwartek, 28 listopada 2024
He added: “I do not want second place! I don’t care. I just want Romanians to know the truth, which is more important than my candidacy.”
Ciolacu said his focus now is on the parliamentary elections on December 1, as he looks to secure another term as prime minister.
However, his withdrawal could complicate the presidential election if the recount puts him in second place. Adding to the sense of chaos gripping Romanian politics is the possibility that a court on Friday may annul the first-round result and order a re-run on December 8, with the second round rescheduled for December 15.
At the moment, the second round is due to take place on December 8, with Georgescu and Lasconi being the two contenders for now.
Ciolacu said his focus now is on the parliamentary elections on December 1, as he looks to secure another term as prime minister.
However, his withdrawal could complicate the presidential election if the recount puts him in second place. Adding to the sense of chaos gripping Romanian politics is the possibility that a court on Friday may annul the first-round result and order a re-run on December 8, with the second round rescheduled for December 15.
At the moment, the second round is due to take place on December 8, with Georgescu and Lasconi being the two contenders for now.
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