Liberal Klaus Iohannis came in the lead in the first round of Romania's presidential election on Sunday (November 10th), consolidating Romania's pro-European stance and facing former Social Democrat Prime Minister Viorica Dancila in the second round. , according to two polls carried out at the exit of the ballot boxes.
At the closing of the polls (19h GMT), Klaus Iohannis, outgoing president from the German minority, is credited with an estimated 39% of the votes cast and Viorica Dancila with 22.5%.
"Victory, we beat the Social Democrats," 60-year-old Klaus Iohannis told supporters at his campaign headquarters.
"But the war is not over, we have yet to take another step in two weeks", in the second round, on November 24, he added.
"I am happy (...), we are present in the second round, I thank those who voted with their hearts," said Viorica Dancila, while his party, which has dominated political life for the past 30 years , feared for the first time not to end up in the second round.
The vote of the diaspora determining
The estimates do not take into account the vote of the Romanians of the diaspora, of whom a record number of 650,000 voted.
Very unfavorable to the Social Democrats, it is not excluded that they propel in the second round the leader of the young pro-European party USR, Dan Barna. The latter is credited with 16% of the votes, according to these polls.
"We remain confident, the Romanians of the diaspora are still voting," said the latter.
After a strong mobilization in the morning, the presence at the polls gradually dried up, the participation rate amounting to nearly 48%, against 52% five years ago.
With AFP