Pro-Western Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu seems destined to exit the presidential election race, having been seen as the favorite in the vote held yesterday, even in the very first exit polls at the close of the polls.
Ciolacu is now in third position with 19.16% of the votes, after the completion of 99% of the counting operations. The pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu is in pole position with 22.94% of the votes, followed by Elena Lasconi, center-right mayor of a small town, ahead of Ciolacu with around 700 votes. If the trend were to be confirmed, Lasconi would be the one to enter the run-off, scheduled for 8 December.