Populist Calin Georgescu takes surprise lead in Romania's presidential election

Populist Calin Georgescu takes surprise lead in Romania’s presidential election

After polls closed, 9.4 million people – just over 52% of eligible voters – had cast their ballots, according to data from the Permanent Electoral Authority.

A little-known, far-right populist has taken the lead in Romania’s presidential election and will likely face leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks, an outcome that has rocked the country’s political landscape.

With around 93% of the votes counted, independent candidate Calin Georgescu was in the lead with around 22% of the vote, while Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), trailed at 20%.

Populist Calin Georgescu takes surprise lead in Romania’s presidential election