On November 10th, 2019, Romanians went to the polls to elect a new president.
Electoral System
Romania has a semi-presidential system of government. The president is directly elected by universal suffrage by an absolute majority for a five-year term. If no candidate receives the absolute majority, that is, above 50 per cent of the number eligible voters, a second-round between the top two candidates will be held. The candidate who receives the most votes in this round wins the seat.
Election Statistics
- 51 per cent of the 18.2 million eligible voters chose from the 14 candidates standing in the election.
- Incumbent President Klaus Iohannis won the most votes: 37.82 per cent.
- Former Prime Minister Viorica Dancila came second with 22.26 per cent of the votes.
- Dan Barna, a deputy in the lower house of parliament and chairman of the Save Romania Union (USR) came third with 15.02 per cent of the votes.
- All other candidates won fewer votes. The fourth-place candidate got less than ten per cent of the votes.
Iohannis vs Dancila
As none of the candidates secured an absolute majority, President Iohannis and Dancila are set to face off in a run-off on the 24th of November, two weeks after the first round. Iohannis is running for a second term under the banner of the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL) while Dancila is hoping to be the country’s first female president with the backing of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).
Until recently Dancila served as the country’s prime minister, often clashing with President Iohannis during her tenure. The President’s Liberal party members were instrumental in the ousting of Dancila’s government in a no-confidence vote in October.
The political bad blood between the two has spilt over to the campaign as President Iohannis has refused to engage in a debate with Dancila, opting instead for a media chat. He says she represents the worst in politics.
Observers predict a win for Iohannis whose anti-corruption policies have earned praise from the West and has received the backing of other political parties.
Finally, it is important to note that there is widespread discontent with the PSD in Romania, who are seen as propagators of corruption and have faced much criticism within the country and from Brussels.
