Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, the candidate of the Social Democrat Party (PSD), is in the first place in the first round of the presidential elections, with an estimated score of 25%, according to exit polls carried out by CURS and Avangarde - CIRA, quoted by Hotnews.

Elena Lasconi, the candidate of the center-right Save Romania Union (USR), is in second place with 18% of the votes.

The Avangarde poll results are valid for 19:00, while those of the CURS poll for 20:00.

The polls don't cover the vote in the diaspora.

Both polls show Călin Georgescu, who ran as an independent, on the third place, with 16%, making him the surprise of this election round.

The Avangarde poll shows AUR’s George Simion at 15%, while CURS shows him at 14%.

Nicolae Ciucă, the candidate of the National Liberal Party (PNL), is credited with 14% of the votes by Avangarde and 13% by CURS.

Former NATO deputy secretary Mircea Geoană has gathered some 5 – 5.5% of the votes, according to both polls.

At 19:00, the voter turnout stood at 51.11%, with some 9.2 million people in the country having cast their ballot. More than 5.5 million people voted at polling stations in urban areas, and 3.7 million in rural areas. More than 780,000 people voted at polling stations set up outside of the country, according to data from the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP).

Fourteen candidates were on the ballot in the first round of this year's presidential elections. Former PM Ludovic Orban, who represents Forţa Dreptei, withdrew at the last minute in favor of USR's Elena Lasconi, but his name remained on the ballot.

The polls carried out in the weeks prior to the election had shown a very tight race for the second-place candidate, with Lasconi, Simion, and Ciucă all credited with chances to enter the second round of the presidential elections.

The results will be available live at Prezenta.roaep.ro as polling stations start submitting the results of the vote.

The first results can be seen here.

To be updated

(Photo: Carol Robert/ Dreamstime)

simona@romania-insider.com