Far-right populist and reformist to compete in Romania's presidential run-off

Calin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi will compete in Romania's presidential run-off on December 8. Georgescu, an independent candidate, received about 22.95% of the vote, while Lasconi, from the Save Romania Union party, garnered 19.17%. Incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu narrowly lost with 19.15%, and George Simion of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians received 13.87%. Voter turnout was approximately 52.5%, with 9.4 million ballots cast. Georgescu performed strongly among voters in Romania's diaspora, securing 43.3% compared to Lasconi's 26.8%.