2019 Romanian presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Romania on 10 November 2019, with a second round held on 24 November 2019. They were the eighth presidential elections held in post-1989 Romania. Incumbent President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, first elected in 2014, was eligible for re-election. He subsequently defeated former Prime Minister and ex-leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Viorica Dăncilă in the second round of the election by a landslide, receiving 66% of the vote – the second-highest vote share on record in this type of elections after Ion Iliescu (who received 85% of the vote in 1990).

2019 Romanian presidential election

← 201410 November 2019 (first round)
24 November 2019 (second round)
2024 →
Turnout51.18% (first round)
55.07% (second round)
 
NomineeKlaus IohannisViorica Dăncilă
PartyPNLPSD
Popular vote6,509,1353,339,922
Percentage66.09%33.91%

Second round results by county

President before election

Klaus Iohannis
PNL

Elected President

Klaus Iohannis
PNL

Background

Klaus Iohannis won the previous presidential election in 2014 and was sworn in for his first term on 21 December 2014. According to the Article 83 of the Constitution of Romania, the "term of office of the President of Romania is five years, being exercised from the date the oath was taken,"[1] but only for up to two terms. In June 2018, incumbent president Iohannis publicly announced his intention of running for a second term as president.[2] The electoral calendar for the presidential elections was set by the Romanian Government.

The final results for the first round were publicly announced by Central Electoral Bureau and Permanent Electoral Authority on 14 November 2019. The results were forwarded to the Constitutional Court of Romania that validated the results on 15 November 2019.[3] After the Constitutional Court's validation, the results were sent for publication to the Official Journal of Romania (Monitorul Oficial al României). Only after the publication by the Official Journal, the results for the first round of the elections became official.

The Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) forwarded the final results for the second round to the Constitutional Court of Romania for validation on 28 November 2019, on the last day of the settled electoral calendar.[4] The Constitutional Court of Romania validated the results in the same day.[5]

Candidates

National Liberal Party (PNL)

President Klaus Iohannis was eligible for re-election. His candidacy in the 2014 elections was supported by the National Liberal Party (PNL), whose President he was at that time. Upon taking office as president, Iohannis suspended his PNL membership, as the Constitution does not allow the president to be a formal member of a political party during his term. Ludovic Orban, the president of the PNL, reconfirmed the party's support for Iohannis after the elections.[6] On 11 March 2018, the National Council of PNL formally endorsed Klaus Iohannis for a new term as president.[7]

Social Democratic Party (PSD)

Liviu Pleșoianu, a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Bucharest since 2016 for the Social Democratic Party (PSD), declared his candidacy on 23 July 2017.[8] Liviu Dragnea, President of the Chamber of Deputies since 2016,[9][10] and Gabriela Firea, Mayor of Bucharest since 2016, are thought to be other potential PSD candidates.[11] However, both have refuted these media speculations, Firea stating she wants to finish her term as mayor, while Liviu Dragnea rejected the idea and stated he and the PSD concentrate on the governing program and the parliamentary agenda, as Dragnea is President of the Chamber of Deputies. After being convicted on corruption charges on 27 May 2019, Dragnea became ineligible to run for president.[12]

Save Romania Union (USR) and PLUS Alliance

Nicușor Dan, a former President of the Save Romania Union (USR), the third largest political party in the country, believed that the party should run its own candidate for the elections.[13] Dan Barna, the new President of the USR, stated in an interview with Adevărul that the USR would have a presidential candidate, decided by a vote within the party. Barna also said that "Dacian Cioloș may be an option, like any well-known person".[14]

Former Minister of Labor in Cioloș Government, Dragoș Pîslaru, who is among the founders of the new party of former Prime Minister, the PLUS, said the party was ready for a possible candidacy for the presidency of leader Dacian Cioloș.[15] He also stressed that a candidacy of President Iohannis for a new term would not exclude a candidacy of Dacian Cioloș.[15] On 8 June 2018, Cioloș said he would not run against Klaus Iohannis.[16] However he subsequently stated that he would assume any responsibility that his recently founded political party (PLUS) would bestow upon him, not excluding the presidency.[17]

In the aftermath of the results of the 2019 European Parliament elections, USR and PLUS decided to keep the 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance for the presidential elections, and nominated Dan Barna as joint candidate.[citation needed]

Other political parties

Many voices inside ALDE suggested that Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, the party leader and former President of the Senate, should be the proposal of the PSD–ALDE coalition for the upcoming election and asked for PSD support in this regard.[18] Tăriceanu himself considered that the best option for the presidential election is a PSD–ALDE joint candidacy.[19] On 24 July 2019, ALDE announced that Tăriceanu would run for president on its ticket.[20]

In a press conference on 26 October 2017, Victor Ponta, a former Prime Minister and runner-up in the 2014 elections, claimed that his newly established party, PRO Romania, would nominate a candidate in the elections, but denied that he would run for the presidency again.[21]

On 25 August 2019, Theodor Paleologu was designated candidate of the People's Movement Party (PMP).[22]

On 7 July 2019, Ramona Ioana Bruynseels launched her candidacy.[23] The announcement was met with surprise and intrigue from political commentators.[24] Bruynseels has set her platform on taking on the broken political system in Romania that she argues is working against the interests of its citizens.[25] Bruynseels is a centrist politician and was the candidate of the Humanist Power Party. At the time of these elections, the party was controlled from behind the scenes by Romanian mogul and former longtime Securitatea collaborator Dan Voiculescu.[26]

Candidates qualified for the second round

On 28 November 2019, The Romanian Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) forwarded the final results to the Constitutional Court of Romania, which validated the results in the same day.[5][27]

NameBornPublic Office ExperienceCampaign and affiliationAlma mater and professionCandidacy
Announcement dates

Klaus Iohannis
13 June 1959
(age 60)
Sibiu, Sibiu County
President of Romania (2014–election day)
Mayor of Sibiu (2000–2014)
Former presidential election:
2014: 30.37% (2nd place, 1st round), 54.43% (winner, 2nd round)

Motto: Pentru o Românie normală
(For a Normal Romania)
Affiliation: PNL
(membership suspended while being President of Romania)
Endorsed by: FDGR/DFDR
Endorsement added for the second round: 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance,[28] PMP[29]
Faculty of Physics, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (1983)

Physics teacher
Intention: 11 March 2018[30]
Official: 23 June 2018[31]
BEC filing: 20 September 2019[32]
BEC validation: 22 September 2019[33]
CCR validation for qualifying to the second round: 15 November 2019[3]
CCR validation as President-elect:
28 November 2019[5][34]

Viorica Dăncilă
16 December 1963
(age 55)
Roșiorii de Vede, Teleorman County
Prime Minister of Romania (2018–2019)
MEP (2009–2018)

Motto: Alături de fiecare român
(Standing by each Romanian)
Affiliation: PSD
Endorsed by: PNȚCD,[35] UNPR
Endorsement added for the second round: FN,[36] PNeR
Faculty of Drilling of Wells and Exploitation of Hydrocarbon Deposits, Petroleum and Gas University, Ploiești (1988)

Oil engineer, petroleum technology teacher[37]
Intention: 11 July 2019[38]
Official: 23 July 2019[39]
BEC filing: 19 September 2019[40]
BEC validation: 20 September 2019[41]
CCR validation for qualifying to the second round: 15 November 2019[3]
CCR validation of the second round results:
28 November 2019[42]

Candidates that competed only in the first round

For all these candidates, the competition ended on 15 November 2019, when the Constitutional Court of Romania validated the results of the first round (only the first two placed competitors were qualified for the second round).

NameBornPublic Office ExperienceAffiliation and endorsementsAlma mater and professionCandidacy
Announcement dates

Dan Barna
10 July 1975
(age 44)
Sibiu, Sibiu County
Deputy (2016–election day)
Secretary of State with the Ministry of European Funds (2016)

Motto: Fericiți în România
([We,] Happy in Romania)
Affiliation: 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance (alliance members: USR and PLUS)
Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest (1998)

lawyer
Intention: 1 July 2019[43]
Official: 13 July 2019[44]
BEC filing: 20 September 2019[45]
BEC validation: 22 September 2019[46]
Second round:
Endorsed Klaus Iohannis
(11 November 2019)[47]

Mircea Diaconu
24 December 1949
(age 69)
Vlădești, Argeș County
MEP (2014–2019)
Minister of Culture (2012)
Senator (2008–2012)

Motto: Cu bună credință
(In Good Faith)
Affiliation: none,
supported by The Alliance for One Man (alliance members: PRO Romania, ALDE)
Caragiale Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography, Bucharest (1971)

actor
Intention: 25 August 2019[48]
Official: 27 August 2019[49]
BEC filing: 21 September 2019[50]
BEC validation: 22 September 2019[51]
Second round:
Non-partisan
(10 November 2019)[52]

Theodor Paleologu
15 July 1973
(age 46)
Bucharest
Deputy (2008–2016)
Minister of Culture (2008–2009)
Ambassador to Denmark (2005–2008)

Motto: Respect, educație, performanță
(Respect, Education, Performance)
Affiliation: none,
supported by PMP
Faculty of Philosophy, University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne (1998)

philosophy and political science professor
Intention: 17 July 2019[53]
Official: 25 August 2019[54]
BEC filing: 20 September 2019[55]
BEC validation: 20 September 2019[56]
Second round:
Against Viorica Dăncilă, without openly endorsing Klaus Iohannis
(22 November 2019)[57]
His party, PMP, openly endorsed Klaus Iohannis:
13 November 2019
[58]

Hunor Kelemen
18 October 1967
(age 52)
Cârța, Harghita County
Deputy (2000–election day)
Minister of Culture (2009–2012, 2014)
Secretary of State with the Minister of Culture (1997–2000)

Former presidential elections:
2014: 3.47% (8th place)
2009: 3.83% (5th place)
Motto: Respect pentru toți
(Respect for Everyone)

Affiliation: UDMR
University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca (1993),
Faculty of Philosophy, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (1998)

veterinarian,
philosophy teacher
Intention: 23 February 2019[59]
Official: 30 August 2019[60]
BEC filing: 21 September 2019[61]
BEC validation: 22 September 2019[62]
Second round:
Endorsed Klaus Iohannis
(10 November 2019)[63]
His organization, UDMR, had a non-partisan stance
(13 November 2019)
[64]

Ramona Bruynseels
14 February 1980
(age 39)
Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County
Secretary of State with the General Secretariat of the Government (2017–2018)
Motto: Fără imunitate
([Politicians] Free of Immunity)
Affiliation: Humanist Power Party
Faculty of Law, Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, Cluj-Napoca (2002)

jurist
Intention: 8 June 2019[65]
Official: 8 July 2019[66]
BEC filing: 22 September 2019[67]
BEC validation: 24 September 2019[68]
Second round:
Non-partisan
(19 November 2019)[69]
Her party, PPU, advised its followers to boycott:
18 November 2019
[70]

Alexandru Cumpănașu
29 March 1981
(age 38)
Caracal, Olt County

Motto: Ori noi, ori ei
([It is] Us or Them)
Affiliation: none
"Ioniță Asan" high-school, Caracal (2000)

civic activist
Intention: 29 August 2019[71]
Official: 2 September 2019[72]
BEC filing: 22 September 2019[73]
BEC validation: 24 September 2019[74]
Second round:
Against Viorica Dăncilă, without openly endorsing Klaus Iohannis
(21 November 2019)[75]

Viorel Cataramă
31 January 1955
(age 64)
Bacău, Bacău County
Senator (1996–2000)
Secretary of State with the Ministry of Commerce and Tourism (1991–1992)

Motto: Muncești și câștigi
(Work and Win)
Affiliation: Liberal Right Party
Faculty of Commerce, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest (1980)

economist
Intention: 10 June 2019[76]
Official: 31 August 2019[77]
BEC filing: 18 September 2019[78]
BEC rejection: 20 September 2019[79]
CCR appeal: 21 September 2019[80]
CCR approval: 22 September 2019[81]
Second round:
Boycott
(17 November 2019)[82]

Bogdan Stanoevici
22 January 1958
(age 61)
Bucharest
Secretary of State with the Minister for Relations with Abroad Romanians (2014)
Motto: România, din nou acasă
(Romania, Home Again)
Affiliation: none
Caragiale Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography, Bucharest (1982)

actor
Intention: 29 March 2019[83]
Official: 3 May 2019[84]
BEC filing: 22 September 2019
BEC validation: 24 September 2019[85]
Second round:
Endorsed Viorica Dăncilă (14 November 2019)[86]

Cătălin Ivan
23 December 1978
(age 40)
Galați, Galați County
MEP (2009–2019)
Iași County Counsellor (2005–2009)

Motto: Președinte pentru Români
(President for Romanians)
Affiliation: Alternative for National Dignity
Faculty of Economics and Business Management, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iași (2003)

economist
Intention: 17 September 2019
Official: 17 September 2019[87]
BEC filing: 22 September 2019[88]
BEC validation: 24 September 2019[89]
Second round:
Against Klaus Iohannis, without openly endorsing Viorica Dăncilă
(21 November 2019)[90]

Ninel Peia
7 October 1969
(age 50)
Brastavățu, Olt County
Deputy (2012–2016)
Motto: Un președinte ca niciunul
(A President like Nobody else)
Affiliation: Romanian Nationhood Party
Faculty of Law at an unspecified university in Bucharest (2000)

jurist
Intention: 4 June 2019
Official: 4 June 2019[91]
BEC filing: 22 September 2019[92]
BEC validation: 24 September 2019[93]
Second round:
Endorsed Viorica Dăncilă
(22 November 2019)[94]

Sebastian Popescu
12 February 1982
(age 37)
Balș, Olt County
Motto: Pentru o nouă Românie
(For a New Romania)
Affiliation: New Romania Party
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Timișoara (2006)

veterinarian
Intention: 17 June 2018
Official: 17 June 2018[95]
BEC filing: 22 September 2019[92]
BEC validation: 24 September 2019[96]
Second round:
Blank vote
(24 November 2019)[97]

John Ion Banu
8 July 1960
(age 59)
Câmpulung, Argeș County
Motto: Certitudinea românilor
(Romanians' Certainty)
Affiliation: Romanian Nation Party
Politehnica University of Bucharest

mechanical engineer
Intention: 13 June 2019
Official: 13 June 2019[98]
BEC filing: 22 September 2019[99]
BEC validation: 24 September 2019[100]
Second round:
Boycott
(18 November 2019)[101]

Withdrawn candidates

Declined to be candidates

These individuals have been the subject of speculation, but have publicly denied or recanted interest in running for president.

Timeline

Intent
Withdrawn candidate
Campaign before
BEC filing
During BEC screening
During CCR appeal
Validated candidate
President-elect
European elections
BEC filing deadline
First round
Second round
Dacian CioloșEcaterina AndronescuMihai FiforGabriela FireaMihail NeamțuAdrian PapahagiRobert TurcescuSorin CîmpeanuCălin Popescu-TăriceanuCorina CrețuFlorin CălinescuGheorghe FunarMiron CozmaClaudiu CrăciunCătălin IvanKelemen HunorTheodor PaleologuMircea DiaconuDan BarnaViorica DăncilăKlaus Iohannis

Campaign

The electoral campaign for the first round started on 12 October 2019, 0:00 EET and ended on 9 November 2019, 7:00 EET.[201] The electoral campaign for the second round started on 15 November 2019, 0:00 EET (several hours before the first round results were validated by the Constitutional Court of Romania) and ended on 23 November 2019, 7:00 EET. According to Romanian law, both campaigns must end at least 24 hours before the official poll openings.[202]

Controversies

The candidate Dan Barna did not comply with the legal requirements regarding the mention of a candidate's first-degree relatives income, in the public declaration of assets (document required in a candidate's file, while registering at the Electoral Board). He stated that his wife income - who was at the time employed at Petrom - was "classified". Soon after the story sparked, he declassified his wife's annual income and changed his assets statement.[203]

According to a media investigation, Dan Barna was allegedly involved in a financial scheme during his entrepreneurship time. He rejected the allegations.[204]

Media released recordings of conversations that the candidate Ramona Bruynseels had with her staff, regarding allegedly dubious acts committed with her campaign funds by Dan Voiculescu, the informal leader of the party that supports her candidacy.[205]

The candidate Ninel Peia was reported missing, during the night of 6–7 November 2019. He was seen leaving the hotel he was lodging in Cluj-Napoca, at 1:17 am, and did not return.[206] The following morning, he was found at Putna Monastery, 195 km away, stating that he went there "to pray".[207]

The candidate Viorel Cataramă was reported as a former informer of the infamous Securitate (Communist Romania's intelligence service). He rejected the allegations.[208]

Alexandru Cumpănașu was accused of either forging his BA degree or lying about being a university graduate. He failed to show a Bachelor's degree, while stating that he was a university graduate, without mentioning a university or faculty. He publicly showed an honorary diploma issued by a controversial university of Ukraine, but failed to prove his claimed status of a university graduate. Later on, he mentioned in the documents filed at the Electoral Bureau that he only graduated high-school and did not pursued any university studies. Asked to clear his lack of university studies required for a Master's degree or a Doctor degree, he stated "In my opinion, I pursued university studies".[209]

A radio anchor that hosted a live debate warned the candidate Alexandru Cumpănașu to tone down his language, or else he would be facing exclusion from the debate.[210]

In an electoral show broadcast live by the Romanian public TV station TVR1, Alexandru Cumpănașu showed his skills of gun handling, by firing at sitting balloons. Later, he stated that the submachine gun he used "was a toy-gun".[211]

For the first time in the history of democratic elections in Romania, the first two contenders did not participate in any electoral debate organised between them or together with other candidates.

Campaign financing

This is an overview of the money raised by each candidate, as it was reported to the Permanent Electoral Authority.[212] Total raised are the sum of all contributions (private and public).

First round

For the first round, the candidates raised a total of 70,258,904.02 lei.[212] Only the candidates that achieved at least 3% of the votes were entitled to be compensated for their private fundings from the state budget. According to Romanian law, the candidates that achieved less than 3% (highlighted in red, in the table below) are not entitled to public compensations. One candidate, Sebastian Popescu, claimed in his financial filing that he and his team did not spend any funds, saying that he used only the online environment for his campaign and no paid ads.[213]

CandidateTotal raised (lei)Private funding (lei)Public funding (lei)Efficiency (lei/1%)Efficiency (lei/1 vote)
Klaus Iohannis18,000,000.000.0018,000,000.00475,938.945.16
Viorica Dăncilă18,210,500.001,672,500.0016,538,000.00818,081.768.88
Dan Barna7,449,531.316,984,323.31179,708.00495,974.125.38
Mircea Diaconu16,294,924.8015,994,924.80300,000.001,841,234.4419.99
Theodor Paleologu7,068,975.007,068,975.000.001,235,834.7913.41
Hunor Kelemen445,000.00445,000.000.00114,987.081.25
Ramona Bruynseels803,398.00803,398.000.00303,169.063.29
Alexandru Cumpănașu559,174.91559,174.910.00365,473.803.96
Viorel Cataramă1,300,000.001,300,000.000.002,452,830.1926.71
Bogdan Stanoevici20,000.0020,000.000.0047,619.050.51
Cătălin Ivan14,400.0014,400.000.0040,000.000.44
Ninel Peia8,000.008,000.000.0023,529.410.26
Sebastian Popescu0.000.000.000.000.00
John Ion Banu85,000.0085,000.000.00283,333.333.06
Total70,258,904.0234,955,696.0235,303,208.00702,589.047.62

Second round

For the second round, the two remaining candidates raised a total of 1,956,000 lei.[214]

CandidateTotal raised (lei)Private funding (lei)Public funding (lei)Efficiency (lei/1%)Efficiency (lei/1 vote)
Klaus Iohannis400,000.000.00400,000.006,052.350.06
Viorica Dăncilă1,556,000.001,456,800.0099,200.0045,886.170.47
Total1,956,000.001,456,800.00499,200.0019,560.000.20

Debates

Debates #1, #3-7 and #9-18:
Bucharest
Debate #2:
Târgu Mureș
Debate #8: Iași
Sites of the presidential debates

In order for a debate to be counted, there must be at least two candidates present. Situation such as: one candidate with one or multiple interviewers; one candidate with a representative (or more) of other candidate(s); only representatives of candidates (no matter how many candidates were represented); one candidate debating a previously recorded video of other candidate(s); short live statements of a candidate (via telephone or video streaming) inserted during a show with only one (other) candidate; short coincidental encounters of candidates (in a non-previously organized debate) that spoke to each other (and were recorded, even on professional cameras in TV studios) are not to be considered proper debates. Any debate must be publicly broadcast. Negotiations behind closed doors, "strategic meetings" among candidates or any other type of discreet talks are not proper debates, even if their content (or bits of it) was released to the public, even if the candidates approved its release.[citation needed]

Debates may be broadcast on radio, television or internet. Candidates may show up in person or participate to the debate via telephone or video streaming for the entire debate time. Candidates that left the debate before 10% of the debate time elapsed (after few words or few minutes) are to be considered as absentees and their leaving noted as such. In this particular situation (if will occur), the debate is considered a valid one, because at least two candidates were present at its beginning. Candidates that left before the debate's ending are considered present, with their particular situation noted as such.[citation needed]

Schedule

Debate schedule
DebateDateTime
(EET)
ViewersBroadcast typeLocationSponsor(s)Moderator(s)Reference(s)
116 October 201912–1 pmTBAlive radioRadio Romania,
Casa Radio,
Bucharest
Radio România ActualitățiIana Ioniță[215]
222 October 20196:30–7:30 pmTBAlive TVRomanian Television Regional Mureș HQ,
Târgu Mureș
TVR3[216]
322 October 20198–9 pmTBAlive TVRealitatea TV studios,
Willbrook Platinum Center,
Bucharest
Realitatea TVDenise Rifai[217]
424 October 201912–1 pmTBAlive radioRadio Romania,
Casa Radio,
Bucharest
Radio România ActualitățiIana Ioniță[218]
524 October 20195:15–6:30 pmTBAlive TVNațional TV studios,
"Național Media" Center,
Bucharest
Național TVDenis Ciulinaru,
Mircea Coșea
[219]
625 October 20195:15–6:30 pmTBAlive TVNațional TV studios,
"Național Media" Center,
Bucharest
Național TVDenis Ciulinaru,
Mircea Coșea
[220]
725 October 20198–9 pm425,000[221]live TVAntena 3 studios,
IRIDE Business Park,
Bucharest
Antena 3Răzvan Dumitrescu[222]
826 October 20191–3 pm346 online viewers (Facebook),
150-200 present on location
video streaming,
public forum
Agora Events Center,
Iași
Youth Summitunspecified name[223][224][225]
927 October 20191–2 pmTBAlive TVAntena 3 studios,
IRIDE Business Park,
Bucharest
Antena 3Mihaela Bîrzilă[226][227]
1030 October 20194–5 pmTBAlive TVBucurești TV studio,
Romexpo, G6 pavilion,
Bucharest
București TVVictor Preda[228][229]
111 November 20194–5:45 pmTBAlive TVB1 studio,
Adriatica building,
Bucharest
B1 TVTudor Barbu
122 November 20195–6 pmTBAlive TVAntena 3 studios,
IRIDE Business Park,
Bucharest
Antena 3Maria Coman[230]
134 November 20198–9 pmTBAlive TVRomanian Television HQ,
Bucharest
TVR1Ionuț Cristache[231][232]
147 November 20195:15–6:30 pmTBAlive TVNațional TV studios,
"Național Media" Center,
Bucharest
Național TVDenis Ciulinaru,
Mircea Coșea
[233]
157 November 20198:30–10:30 pm882,244 online viewers (YouTube and media websites)[234]
721.000 online viewers (Facebook)[235]
live radio,
video streaming
Europa FM HQ,
Bucharest
Europa FMMoise Guran[236]
167 November 20199–10 pmTBAlive TVRomanian Television HQ,
Bucharest
TVR1Ionuț Cristache[237]
178 November 20197–8 pmTBAlive TVAntena 3 studios,
IRIDE Business Park,
Bucharest
Antena 3Răzvan Dumitrescu[238]
188 November 20199–10 pmTBAlive TVRomanian Television HQ,
Bucharest
TVR1Ionuț Cristache

Participation

The following is a table of participating candidates in each debate:

Participating candidates
Candidate

 P  Present  N  Not invited/Invitation declined A  Absent (Invitation accepted, but candidate failed to show up)

TotalInteraction
123456789101112131415161718
IohannisNNNNNNNNNNNNNNANNN00/13
DăncilăNNNNNNNNNNNNNNANNN00/13
BarnaANNNNNNNNNNNNNPNNN12/13
DiaconuNNNNNNNNNNNNNNANPP23/13
PaleologuNNPNNNNPNNNNPNPNNN43/13
KelemenNNPANNNPNNNNNNPNNN32/13
BruynseelsNNNNNPNNNPNPNPNNPN55/13
CumpănașuNPNPNNPNPNNPNNNNPP76/13
CataramăNPNNNNPNNNNNNNNNNN21/13
StanoeviciNNNNNPNNPPNNNNNNNN33/13
IvanNNNPPNNNNNPPPPNNNN66/13
PeiaPNNPNPNNPNNNNNNNPN57/13
PopescuPNNNPNNNNNNNNNNPNN33/13
BanuPNNNNNNNNNPNNNNPNN33/13
Electoral Coverage0.972.069.592.230.693.412.069.592.293.070.664.546.083.0124.610.6313.3710.38

Opinion polls

First round

After the deadline for submitting candidacies to BEC (22 September 2019)

Poll sourceDate(s)Sample size
Iohannis
Cumpănașu
Popescu
Election results (first round)37.82%22.26%15.02%8.85%5.72%3.87%2.65%1.53%0.53%0.42%0.36%0.34%0.33%0.30%
IRESExit-poll38.4%21.9%16.1%8.3%5.9%4.7%2.0%1.1%0.4%0.4%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.1%
CURS-AvangardeExit-poll39.0%22.1%16.9%7.8%6.1%4.0%1.8%1.1%0.3%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
SociopolExit-poll42%18%16%10%5%3%2%2%≤0.2%0.5%1%≤0.2%≤0.2%≤0.2%
PSD7 November 201941%26%12%7%6%2%4%2%
4 November 2019Orban sworn in as Prime Minister of Romania, following a vote of confidence from the parliament
USR25 October–3 November 20191,22538.9%22.6%19.1%8.2%5.5%3.6%2.1%
IMAS8–28 October 20191,01045.7%15.1%12.6%16.7%6.9%2.9%0.1%
PMP27 October 201940%19%13%7%8%4%3%1.5%
USR15–23 October 20191,50039.0%23.4%18.5%8.0%3.8%3.9%3.4%
Sociopol11–22 October 20191,00142%21%10%10%7%1%3%5%1%
CURS14–21 October 20191,60037%20%13%11%6%4%4%4%1%
BCS12–19 October 20191,11740.2%19.9%12.2%7.6%7.6%5.2%2.1%4.1%0.7%0.2%0.2%0.1%
PNL17 October 201940%13%12%9%7%19%
10 OctoberDăncilă ousted as Prime Minister of Romania, following a vote of no confidence from the parliament
Sociopol6 October 201943%21%15%11%4%6%
PSD4 October 201940%18%20%13%7%2%
IMAS9–28 September 20191,01045.3%12.4%14.2%16.6%7.7%3.8%
USR3–24 September 20191,50040.5%21.4%19.7%7.6%3.5%3.1%4.2%

Before the deadline for submitting candidacies to BEC (22 September 2019)

Poll sourceDate(s)Sample size
Others
Undecided
Socio-Data16–20 September 20191,0704019161553endorsed Diaconuendorsed Paleologuendorsed Barnaendorsed Dăncilăendorsed Iohannis2
Socio-Data9–13 September 20191,0704617141142endorsed Diaconuendorsed Paleologuendorsed Barnaendorsed Dăncilăendorsed Iohannis6
Socio-Data2–6 September 20191,0704914141263endorsed Diaconuendorsed Paleologuendorsed Barnaendorsed Dăncilăendorsed Iohannis2
30 August 2019Kelemen officially announced his candidacy
Verifield26–30 August 20191,0004318141561endorsed Diaconuendorsed Paleologuendorsed Barnaendorsed Dăncilăendorsed Iohannis3
Socio-Data26–30 August 20191,0704316181561endorsed Diaconuendorsed Paleologuendorsed Barnaendorsed Dăncilăendorsed Iohannis3
27 August 2019Diaconu officially announced his candidacy
26 August 2019ALDE withdrew from governmental coalition and moved to opposition
25 August 2019Paleologu officially announced his candidacy
IMAS5–28 August 20191,01044.68.417.32.414.012.70.6endorsed Barnaendorsed Dăncilăendorsed Iohannis
CURS19 July–5 August 20191,600391417418endorsed Barnaendorsed Dăncilăendorsed Iohannis8
IMAS15 July–2 August 20191,01041.77.59.42.812.913.81.510.4endorsed Dăncilăendorsed Iohannis
23 July 2019Dăncilă officially announced her candidacy
BCS17-23 July 20191,12841.816.115.74.913.94.2endorsed Dăncilăendorsed Iohannis3.5
13 July 2019Barna officially announced his candidacy
CURS28 June–8 July 20191,0674192214115endorsed Iohannis723
IMAS7–26 June 20191,01042.46.75.31.814.115.51.612.7endorsed Iohannis
27 May 2019Dragnea convicted to three and a half years in prison; political rights suspended
26 May 2019 European elections: Diaconu did not run for re-election; Crețu, Tomac and Cioloș were elected MEPs
IMAS2–20 May 20191,01043.51.91.211.619.82.113.07.0endorsed Iohannis
INSCOP12 April–3 May 20191,05045.83.218.06.59.914.3endorsed Iohannis2.2
IMAS12–25 April 20191,01042.72.51.214.518.32.210.08.7endorsed Iohannis
IMAS18 March–3 April 20191,01044.31.71.112.416.12.211.78.02.5
CURS12–25 March 20191,0673642363915426
IMAS1–21 February 20191,01041.41.51.515.018.01.911.76.03.0
CURS21 January–6 February 20191,06741421917834
IMAS11–30 January 20191,01134.41.90.813.215.41.510.96.02.35.48.2
PNL27 January 201926,0003031216101712
17 January 2019Crețu resigns from PSD and joins Pro Romania
IMAS4–20 December 20181,01034.92.30.712.712.91.89.25.33.516.8
18 December 2018Cioloș joins PLUS, soon to become its president
CURS24 November–9 December 20181,0673932251112832
CURS20 September–1 October 20181,0674022911013533
9 July 2018Kövesi was revoked from the office of Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, following the request of the Justice Minister
CURS23 June–1 July 20181,0674332221012828
23 June 2018Iohannis officially announced his candidacy
CURS27 April–8 May 20181,067393222422839
29 January 2018Dăncilă sworn in as Prime Minister of Romania
16 January 2018Tudose resigned as Prime Minister of Romania, following PSD retracted the political support
CURS23 November 20171,067373413137532
4 September 2017Ponta joins Pro Romania, soon to become its president
29 June 2017Tudose sworn in as Prime Minister of Romania, following a vote of confidence from the parliament
21 June 2017Grindeanu ousted from the office of Prime Minister of Romania, following a vote of no confidence from the parliament
16 June 2017Ponta excluded from PSD, following his nomination as minister in the Grindeanu Cabinet
4 January 2017Grindeanu sworn in as Prime Minister of Romania, following legislative elections
11 December 2016 Legislative elections: Tăriceanu and Teodorovici elected senators; Barna, Kelemen, Ponta, Dragnea and Tomac elected deputies; Paleologu, Peia and Orban did not run for re-election
23 June 2016 Local elections: Firea elected Mayor of Bucharest
17 November 2015Cioloș (independent) sworn in as Prime Minister of Romania, following a vote of confidence from the parliament
5 November 2015Ponta resigned as Prime Minister of Romania, following public protests caused by Colectiv nightclub fire
19 June 2015ALDE founded from the merger of PLR and PC; Tăriceanu becomes its co-president
21 December 2014Iohannis assumed the office of president of Romania
2014 electionsround 254.4345.56
2014 electionsround 130.373.4740.445.3620.36

In-depths polling analysis

CandidateElection resultsExit-pollsLast 1–30 daysLast 31–60 daysLast 61–90 daysLast 3–6 monthsLast 6–9 monthsLast 9–12 months
Klaus Iohannis37.82% 38.4-42% 37-45.7% 40-46% 43-49% 39-43.5% 36-45.8%
36-46.8% [a]
30-41%
30-41%[a]
Viorica Dăncilă22.26% 18-22.1% 13-26% 12.4-21.4% 8.4-18% 6.7-14%
5-14% [b]
not polled
6-15% [c]
not polled
5.3-17%[d]
Dan Barna15.02% 16-16.9% 10-19.1% 11-20% 12-17.3% 1.9-17%
9-19.8% [e]
1.5-2.5%
9-13.4% [f]
1.9-4%
10-14%[g]
Mircea Diaconu8.85% 7.8-10% 7-16.7% 7.6-16.6% 14-18%
14-26.7% [h]
not polled
18-31.4% [i]
not polled
24.5-33% [j]
not polled
21-28.6%[k]
Theodor Paleologu5.72% 5-6.1% 3.8-8% 3.5-7.7% 6%
0.6-6% [l]
not polled
1.5-2.1% [m]
not polled
1.9-3% [n]
not polled
1.5-1.8%[o]
Kelemen Hunor3.87% 3-4.7% 1-5.2% 2-3.8% 1-3% 1.2-4% 1.1-4% 0.7-3%
Ramona Bruynseels2.65% 1.8-2% 2.1-4%not pollednot pollednot pollednot pollednot polled
Alexandru Cumpănașu1.53% 1.1-2% 2-5%not pollednot pollednot pollednot pollednot polled
Viorel Cataramă0.53% 0.3-0.4% 0.7%not pollednot pollednot pollednot pollednot polled
Bogdan Stanoevici0.42% 0.2-0.4% 0.2%not pollednot pollednot pollednot pollednot polled
Cătălin Ivan0.36% 0.2-1% 0.2%not pollednot pollednot pollednot pollednot polled
Ninel Peia0.34% 0.2-0.3% <0.1%not pollednot pollednot pollednot pollednot polled
Sebastian Popescu0.33% 0.1-0.2% <0.1%not pollednot pollednot pollednot pollednot polled
John Ion Banu0.30% 0.1% <0.1%not pollednot pollednot pollednot pollednot polled

Notes

Graphical summary

The following graph depicts the evolution of the standing of each candidate in the poll aggregators since December 2018. The last value is the exit-polls average.

Polling aggregation

The following graph depicts the evolution of the standing of each present candidate, including former party candidates and alliance candidates since December 2018. Klaus Iohannis includes Ludovic Orban's previous evolution, Viorica Dăncilă includes Liviu Dragnea's previous evolution with Eugen Teodorovici's and Gabriela Firea's previous support, Theodor Paleologu includes Eugen Tomac's previous evolution, Dan Barna's evolution is aggregated with Dacian Cioloș' evolution and Mircea Diaconu's evolution is aggregated with Victor Ponta's, Corina Crețu's and Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu's added evolution. The last value is the exit-polls average.

Second round

Iohannis vs. Dăncilă

Poll sourceDate(s)Sample sizeIohannisDăncilăMargin of error
Election results (second round)66.09%33.91%
CURS-AvangardeExit-poll23,000+64.5%35.5%±2.5%
SociopolExit-poll67%33%±2.56%
IRESExit-poll67.1%32.9%±2%
PSD11 November 201966%34%
BCS12–19 October 20191,11770.5%29.5%±3%
CURS27 August–2 September 20191,06765%35%±3%

Iohannis vs. Barna

Poll sourceDate(s)Sample sizeIohannisBarnaUndecidedNoneMargin of error
USR15–23 October 201939.8% 24.0% 27.4% 8.8%
BCS12–19 October 20191,11769.1%30.9%17.6%20.1%±3%
USR3–24 September 20191,50044.2%22.2%27.5%6.0%
CURS27 August–2 September 20191,06763%37%±3%

Iohannis vs. Diaconu

Poll sourceDate(s)Sample sizeIohannisDiaconuMargin of error
BCS12–19 October 20191,11767.2%32.8%±3%
CURS27 August–2 September 20191,06762%38%±3%

Iohannis vs. Tăriceanu

Poll sourceDate(s)Sample sizeIohannisTăriceanuUndecidedNoneMargin of error
INSCOP12 April–3 May 20191,05038.1%26.0%26.8%9.0%±3%

Iohannis vs. Cioloș

Poll sourceDate(s)Sample sizeIohannisCioloșUndecidedNoneMargin of error
INSCOP12 April–3 May 20191,05033.7%14.6%38.0%13.7%±3%

Iohannis vs. Dragnea

Poll sourceDate(s)Sample sizeIohannisDragneaUndecidedNoneMargin of error
INSCOP12 April–3 May 20191,05041.6%18.0%29.1%11.2%±3%

Iohannis vs. Firea

Poll sourceDate(s)Sample sizeIohannisFireaUndecidedNoneMargin of error
INSCOP12 April–3 May 20191,05037.4% 21% 31.3%10.3%±3%
Avangarde3–12 May 201780040%44%6%10%±3.47%

Results

The first round of voting was held on 10 November 2019. Incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, of the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL) led the field with 37.8 percent, with former Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă, of the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) finishing second with 22.26 percent. Because no candidate obtained the support of more than 50% of registered voters,[239] the second round was held two weeks later, on 24 November 2019, between Ioannis and Dăncilă. Exit polls on election night showed Iohannis winning handily.[240][241] He ultimately finished with 66.09 percent of the vote, the second-highest vote share for a winning presidential candidate in direct, popular elections in Romania's democratic history since 1990 onwards.

Dan Barna openly endorsed Iohannis in the second round. Theodor Paleologu positioned himself as against Dăncilă, without openly endorsing Klaus Iohannis (his party, PMP, openly endorsed Klaus Iohannis). Kelemen Hunor openly endorsed Iohannis in the second round (his organization, UDMR/RMDSZ, position itself as non-partisan). Alexandru Cumpănașu positioned himself against Dăncilă, without openly endorsing Iohannis on the other hand however.

CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Klaus IohannisNational Liberal Party3,485,29237.826,509,13566.09
Viorica DăncilăSocial Democratic Party2,051,72522.263,339,92233.91
Dan Barna2020 USR-PLUS Alliance1,384,45015.02
Mircea DiaconuAlliance for "One Man" (PROALDE)815,2018.85
Theodor PaleologuPeople's Movement Party527,0985.72
Hunor KelemenDemocratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania357,0143.87
Ramona BruynseelsHumanist Power Party244,2752.65
Alexandru Cumpănașu [ro]Independent141,3161.53
Viorel CataramăLiberal Right Party48,6620.53
Bogdan Stanoevici [ro]Independent39,1920.43
Cătălin IvanAlternative for National Dignity32,7870.36
Ninel Peia [ro]Romanian Nationhood Party30,8840.34
Sebastian PopescuNew Romania Party30,8500.33
John Ion Banu [ro]Romanian Nation Party27,7690.30
Total9,216,515100.009,849,057100.00
Valid votes9,216,51598.479,849,05798.18
Invalid/blank votes142,9611.53182,6481.82
Total votes9,359,476100.0010,031,705100.00
Registered voters/turnout18,286,86551.1818,217,41155.07
Source: BEC (first round); BEC (second round)

By county

First round

CountyIohannis
(PNL)
Dăncilă
(PSD)
Barna
(USR-PLUS)
Diaconu
(PRO-ALDE)
Paleologu
(PMP)
Kelemen
(UDMR)
Bruynseels
(PPU)
Cumpănașu
(Ind.)
Cataramă
(DL)
Stanoevici
(Ind.)
Ivan
(ADN)
Peia
(PNeR)
Popescu
(PNR)
Banu
(PNRo)
Alba51.76%17.33%11.40%6.23%5.32%2.25%2.71%1.04%0.62%0.27%0.33%0.22%0.24%0.30%
Arad43.30%17.29%13.97%8.19%6.74%4.18%2.83%1.49%0.50%0.39%0.24%0.30%0.29%0.29%
Argeș30.19%30.88%12.31%14.03%5.12%0.26%3.18%1.76%0.57%0.44%0.31%0.32%0.32%0.33%
Bacău36.98%25.68%13.07%9.96%5.26%0.72%3.32%1.57%0.98%0.50%0.54%0.52%0.48%0.43%
Bihor36.03%18.59%11.40%7.89%5.63%15.39%2.21%1.11%0.42%0.27%0.24%0.31%0.24%0.26%
Bistrița-Năsăud48.76%20.05%10.22%5.97%6.15%3.13%2.45%1.07%0.40%0.25%0.61%0.25%0.31%0.38%
Botoșani31.08%34.16%8.79%12.46%4.61%0.48%3.13%1.85%1.16%0.45%0.54%0.38%0.48%0.43%
Brașov41.92%15.21%18.05%9.68%5.38%3.31%2.76%1.25%0.47%0.49%0.48%0.36%0.33%0.29%
Brăila33.24%31.12%9.58%12.15%4.66%0.36%3.89%1.89%0.80%0.58%0.55%0.38%0.43%0.38%
Bucharest31.77%17.89%24.83%11.30%8.07%0.21%2.48%1.16%0.53%0.67%0.28%0.39%0.25%0.17%
Buzău29.69%34.56%9.78%13.42%4.27%0.31%3.63%1.75%0.65%0.43%0.39%0.39%0.37%0.38%
Caraș-Severin38.48%30.86%8.70%9.10%5.66%0.57%3.01%1.36%0.50%0.43%0.29%0.29%0.37%0.39%
Călărași37.62%31.84%9.16%9.32%3.69%0.34%3.06%2.26%0.68%0.45%0.39%0.45%0.41%0.33%
Cluj42.09%10.43%20.18%5.94%8.70%7.80%2.52%0.72%0.43%0.27%0.19%0.25%0.24%0.23%
Constanța40.15%20.24%15.77%9.73%6.43%0.26%3.09%1.65%0.66%0.56%0.35%0.37%0.41%0.32%
Covasna16.66%6.91%5.95%3.91%2.04%61.39%3.09%1.65%0.28%0.23%0.17%0.19%0.21%0.22%
Dâmbovița35.77%32.49%9.64%10.18%4.74%0.26%2.56%1.81%0.68%0.41%0.47%0.25%0.35%0.38%
Dolj31.96%36.87%11.40%9.76%3.79%0.28%2.31%1.67%0.48%0.32%0.33%0.28%0.27%0.27%
Galați34.44%27.17%13.31%11.38%5.73%0.37%3.46%1.63%0.53%0.52%0.39%0.32%0.37%0.38%
Giurgiu30.50%42.85%7.65%9.89%3.06%0.29%2.13%1.61%0.46%0.41%0.34%0.25%0.32%0.23%
Gorj30.06%37.54%9.83%9.48%5.22%0.48%3.33%1.54%0.44%0.33%0.88%0.23%0.35%0.30%
Harghita9.45%4.10%3.75%1.83%1.19%77.73%0.72%0.32%0.17%0.12%0.11%0.24%0.15%0.13%
Hunedoara34.40%29.73%11.06%9.81%5.08%1.82%4.35%1.40%0.57%0.48%0.32%0.37%0.33%0.29%
Ialomița32.13%32.71%11.11%11.73%4.22%0.44%3.05%2.09%0.64%0.43%0.37%0.33%0.40%0.35%
Iași36.30%21.35%17.87%9.53%7.85%0.28%2.60%1.52%0.51%0.41%0.74%0.36%0.37%0.31%
Ilfov39.27%18.57%19.46%9.55%6.32%0.21%2.61%1.57%0.60%0.61%0.28%0.43%0.31%0.21%
Maramureș40.08%20.67%13.85%7.34%7.97%3.72%2.93%1.17%0.42%0.33%0.31%0.34%0.33%0.40%
Mehedinți34.84%39.79%6.68%9.76%3.39%0.40%2.09%1.21%0.47%0.29%0.30%0.30%0.22%0.26%
Mureș34.81%13.46%11.10%5.98%3.69%26.29%2.16%0.98%0.30%0.23%0.25%0.21%0.26%0.29%
Neamț36.46%26.09%12.13%11.12%5.87%0.41%3.13%1.74%0.64%0.52%0.48%0.47%0.51%0.42%
Olt29.72%42.99%7.36%8.05%3.12%0.28%2.23%4.42%0.47%0.28%0.29%0.26%0.30%0.23%
Prahova38.71%22.97%14.08%10.07%6.03%0.29%3.30%1.67%0.67%0.61%0.47%0.39%0.40%0.32%
Satu Mare35.86%15.45%9.07%6.14%3.16%26.22%1.72%0.77%0.28%0.21%0.26%0.20%0.30%0.37%
Sălaj33.97%17.74%15.44%5.68%4.53%17.82%2.30%0.79%0.38%0.19%0.45%0.19%0.23%0.29%
Sibiu66.74%9.71%11.06%4.93%3.39%0.78%1.40%0.61%0.27%0.20%0.20%0.26%0.19%0.27%
Suceava39.33%24.93%10.74%10.00%7.04%0.36%2.80%1.82%0.75%0.44%0.48%0.48%0.46%0.36%
Teleorman30.09%47.27%6.56%6.72%3.78%0.28%2.12%1.46%0.43%0.31%0.29%0.19%0.27%0.22%
Timiș43.82%13.94%20.96%7.41%6.53%1.46%2.82%1.11%0.45%0.38%0.23%0.28%0.29%0.32%
Tulcea39.27%23.40%12.61%9.97%5.75%0.46%3.51%1.99%0.82%0.49%0.41%0.34%0.53%0.44%
Vaslui33.16%32.24%12.15%9.16%5.33%0.57%2.74%1.98%0.63%0.35%0.47%0.33%0.47%0.43%
Vâlcea36.61%32.56%10.05%9.69%4.27%0.41%2.82%1.52%0.34%0.33%0.30%0.37%0.35%0.35%
Vrancea40.74%28.17%10.07%9.10%4.79%0.32%2.65%1.63%0.62%0.43%0.38%0.33%0.42%0.35%
Abroad52.57%2.68%28.10%3.61%6.42%0.51%1.70%2.43%0.31%0.42%0.19%0.36%0.39%0.30%
Source: HotNews

Second round

CountyIohannis
(PNL)
Dăncilă
(PSD)
Alba73.43%26.57%
Arad69.66%30.34%
Argeș52.19%47.81%
Bacău62.02%37.98%
Bihor66.11%33.89%
Bistrița-Năsăud71.90%28.10%
Botoșani50.22%49.78%
Brașov73.55%26.45%
Brăila54.04%45.96%
Bucharest67.52%32.48%
Buzău50.38%49.62%
Caraș-Severin56.52%43.48%
Călărași53.91%46.09%
Cluj81.18%18.82%
Constanța68.47%31.53%
Covasna72.93%27.07%
Dâmbovița53.80%46.20%
Dolj51.79%48.21%
Galați60.18%39.82%
Giurgiu45.18%54.82%
Gorj48.10%51.90%
Harghita70.37%29.63%
Hunedoara54.79%45.21%
Ialomița52.21%47.79%
Iași66.21%33.79%
Ilfov68.23%31.77%
Maramureș68.12%31.88%
Mehedinți48.03%51.97%
Mureș73.60%26.40%
Neamț58.72%41.28%
Olt45.59%54.41%
Prahova64.39%36.61%
Satu Mare72.56%27.44%
Sălaj69.15%30.85%
Sibiu85.28%14.72%
Suceava61.35%38.65%
Teleorman40.83%59.17%
Timiș76.32%23.64%
Tulcea64.65%35.35%
Vaslui54.14%45.86%
Vâlcea53.59%46.41%
Vrancea59.30%40.70%
Abroad94.00%6.00%
Source: HotNews

Gallery

References

External links

Media related to Romanian presidential elections, 2019 at Wikimedia Commons