Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who came third in the presidential elections and was therefore excluded from the ballot, has announced that he will not "challenge" the results, "even if the difference is minimal", and has announced his resignation as leader of the Social Democratic Party.
Given as a favorite in the polls, Ciolacu won 19.15% of the vote, a whisker below the 19.17% of centrist Elena Lasconi. To triumph, somewhat surprisingly, was the pro-Russian independent candidate Calin Georgescu, who obtained 22.94% but who now faces the most difficult challenge: winning the December 8th ballot by also collecting votes from the more moderate electorate.
.jpg)
