Ultranationalist candidate leading in 1st round of Romania's presidential election

Calin Georgescu garners 22.08% versus Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s 22.07% with more than 80% of votes counted

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Ultranationalist candidate Calin Georgescu is leading by a narrow margin in the first round of Romania’s presidential election, the country’s Permanent Election Authority announced late Sunday.

Georgescu has garnered 22.08% compared with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s 22.07% with 81% of the votes counted.

Ciolacu, the candidate of the Social Democrat Party (PSD), is in first place, while center-right opposition leader Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party has 14.13%.

Around 9.4 million people cast their votes in the polls, which closed at 1900GMT, indicating a turnout of over 50%.

Voters were choosing between 13 candidates to replace outgoing President Klaus Iohannis.

The top two candidates will move on to a run-off on Dec. 8 if no single candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in the first round.

Kaynak: