Romanians living abroad are the first to cast their ballots in the second round of the 2025 presidential election, with voting officially starting on Thursday, May 15, at 22:00 Romanian time, when the polling station in Auckland, New Zealand, opens its doors, the electoral authority said. In this decisive round, voters will choose between George Simion, leader of the right-wing AUR party, and Nicușor Dan, an independent candidate and the mayor of Bucharest.

The diaspora vote unfolds over three days - May 16, 17, and 18 - under Romanian election law, giving citizens abroad more time to participate. In the country, voters can cast their ballots only on Sunday, May 18.

A total of 965 polling stations have been set up across the globe, 15 more than during the 2024 elections, based on proposals from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Romanian voters abroad can go to any of these stations, regardless of their location.

Voting abroad starts at 7:00 a.m. local time on Friday and Saturday and ends at 9:00 p.m., with the option to extend until 11:59 p.m. for those already inside or waiting in line at closing time. On Sunday, polls also open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m. local time, but cannot extend beyond 9:00 p.m. Romanian time.

To vote, Romanian citizens abroad must present a valid Romanian-issued ID, including any type of identity card, passport, or, in the case of military school students, a military service card. Passports - simple, electronic, or temporary - can be used only by citizens voting outside the country or by those officially domiciled abroad who are voting in Romania.

Turnout data is available in real-time on the Permanent Electoral Authority’s website - here.

According to the AEP, the total number of eligible voters for this runoff stands at 17,988,218, including 1,016,327 citizens with registered residence abroad. Of these, 6,085 have signed up to vote by mail, while 2,235 have registered to vote in person at polling stations outside Romania. Meanwhile, 20,326 individuals are banned from voting due to legal restrictions.

The first round saw George Simion secure 40.96% of the votes, with Nicușor Dan trailing at 20.99%. Voter turnout reached 53.19%, with 9,571,899 people casting ballots. Of those, 98.52% were valid votes, while 1.48% were declared invalid. 

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Alexandru Busca)