The first round of Romania’s presidential elections brought significant surprises, with nationalist independent candidate Călin Georgescu taking an unexpected lead. He is most likely set to face reformist leader Elena Lasconi (USR) in the second round. The results reflect a reshaped political landscape, with both traditional parties – the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL) – experiencing historic setbacks.

But how did Romanians vote? Călin Georgescu secured the most votes in 13 counties in Romania (plus the diaspora), while Elena Lasconi won five counties and Bucharest. PSD candidate Marcel Ciolacu received the most votes in 16 counties, while Nicolae Ciucă from PNL was victorious in only one county, Giurgiu.

Votes in Romania

According to the map on the Electoral Authority’s official platform, Călin Georgescu won in the counties of Maramureş, Suceava, Bistriţa-Năsăud, Neamţ, Tulcea, Constanţa, Călăraşi, Prahova, Argeş, Sibiu, Alba, Hunedoara, and Arad. Some are counties where the Social Democrats or the Liberals have powerful leaders, which again comes to show that Georgescu's success highlights a reshaping of the political landscape.

Meanwhile, Elena Lasconi, who managed to surpass prime minister Marcel Ciolacu and take second place with a margin of a few thousand votes (according to partial results on Monday afternoon), was victorious in the counties of Timiş, Cluj, Braşov, Iaşi, and Ilfov, plus the capital, Bucharest.

PM and PSD candidate Marcel Ciolacu won in 16 counties, but this was still not enough to advance to the second round of the presidential elections. These counties were: Botoşani, Bacău, Vaslui, Vrancea, Galaţi, Buzău, Brăila, Ialomiţa, Dîmboviţa, Teleorman, Olt, Vâlcea, Dolj, Gorj, Mehedinţi, and Caraş-Severin. By comparison, in the local elections of June 9, 2024, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) won leadership positions in 25 counties.

Liberal leader Nicolae Ciucă managed to win in only one county – Giurgiu.

Far-right leader George Simion (AUR), the candidate who ranks fourth in the first round, did not win in any county.

Votes in diaspora

According to the official results, independent candidate Călin Georgescu received the most votes in the diaspora (some 346,000), followed by Elena Lasconi (just over 214,000) and George Simion (some 96,000).

In another surprising outcome, Georgescu garnered significant support from Romanians in Western Europe. He received the highest number of votes at polling stations in countries such as Spain, France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Italy.

On the other hand, Elena Lasconi was victorious in neighboring Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, in Russia, as well as in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland, or the Czech Republic. She also led in Canada and the United States.

The map from the Electoral Authority can be found here.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: screenshot from Prezenta.roaep.ro)