Romania is heading into a second round of presidential elections on May 18, after George Simion, candidate for the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR, right-wing nationalist party) secured over 40% of the vote in the first round on May 4. Simion will face Nicușor Dan from the Save Romania Union (pro-European liberal party), who placed second with 21%. Crin Antonescu, the candidate of the ruling coalition and president of National Liberal Party (PNL, christian democratic party), finished third with 20% of the vote. Simion, is known for his nationalist and irredentist rhetoric advocating for the unification of Romania with Moldova and parts of Ukraine in a “Greater Romania.”
Following the first-round results, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation on May 5. Ciolacu, who also leads the Social Democratic Party (SDP), declared that the party is withdrawing from the governing coalition, citing a loss of legitimacy. The PSD will not endorse any candidate in the runoff, and Ciolacu reminded the that the next president will have the responsability to nominate a prime minister able to form a new government in consultation with all parliamentary parties.
Romania is a semi-presidential republic with a dual executive. The president, elected by popular vote, oversees foreign policy, defense, and national security, while the prime minister, appointed by the president with parliamentary approval, manages domestic governance.
The May 4 election follows the annulment of the 2024 presidential vote by Romania’s Constitutional Court amid allegations of Russian hybrid interference. This first round of the election had been won by candidate Călin Georgescu (who ran as an independent, previously part of AUR), who was later indicted. The current coalition government was formed after the December 2024 parliamentary elections and included PSD, PNL, and minority representatives.