Candidates for the Cotroceni seat, in the 9th election since 1989

In two weeks’ time, the Romanians in the country and abroad are expected at the polls to elect the future president, for a mandate of five years.14 candidates are vying for the Cotroceni seat in the first round of the presidential elections scheduled for 24 November. This is the same number of candidates as in the first round of the 2014 and 2019 elections. Of the 14, only two will go through to the second round, scheduled for 8 December. This is the 9th presidential election since the December 1989 Revolution, and voter turnout in the first round has fallen in each presidential election round: 1990 - 86.19%, 1992 - 76.29%, 1996 - 76.01%, 2000 - 65.31%, 2004 - 58.51%, 2009 - 54.37%, 2014 - 53.18%, 2019 - 51.18%.* The candidates, in the 30 days of campaign have to convince the voters that they are ready to occupy the highest position in the Romanian state. After many years, there were organized debates among the supporters, meetings with the voters and presentation of electoral programmes. The 14 competitors in the first round of presidential elections, as they are included on the ballot paper are:****position 1 – ELENA LASCONI – Uniunea Salvati Romania (Save Romania Union)Elena Lasconi is at present mayor of Campulung Muscel. She was born on 20th April 1972 in Hateg. She graduated from the Pedagogical Highschool ‘Sabin Dragoi’ in Deva (1990), the BBC Television School (1999) and ASE Bucuresti as licensed economist in Tourism and Commerce Management(2001). She attended courses in the domain of harmonization, legislation, European Funds regulations in the country and in Brussels.She was a radio producer and programme manager with Radio T5 ABC (1995 – 1996) then journalist with PRO TV (1996 – 2020).She won the 2020 elections for the Town Hall of Campulung Muscel as a representative of USR Plus and was re-elected with about 70% votes in June 2024, as a representative of Alianta Dreapta Unita.Her electoral slogan is “ A Romania for all not only for some’.*** position no.2 – GEORGE SIMION – Alianta pentru Unirea Romanilor (Alliance for the Union of Romanians)George Simion is a deputy in the Romanian Parliament. He was born on 21st September 1986 in Focsani. He graduated from the National College’ Gheorghe Lazar’ Bucarest (2005) and holds a degree from the University of Bucharest, Faculty Administration and Business (2008). He got his master degree in ‘The crimes of communism’ with the University ‘ Alexadru Ioan Cuza’ Iasi.He was, in 2006, leader of the group ‘The new Hooligans’ (Noii Golani) as a continuation of the street movements of 1990 and promoted the message ‘ Bessarabia is Romania’ He set up in 2011 the Unionist Platform Action 2012 and in 2017 ‘ Alliance for the Centenary’ together with other organisations in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and the diaspora.On 1st December 2019 he founded the party Alliance for the Union of the Romanians whose president he became on 27th March 2022.After the parliamentary elections of 2020 he won a seat as deputy.He is running under the slogan ‘ We make history through courage’.*** position no.3 – MARCEL CIOLACU – Partidul Social Democrat (Social Democrat Party)Marcel Ciolacu is at present the prime-minister of Romania. He was born on 28th November 1967 in Buzau. He graduated from the Law School with the Universitatea Ecologica Bucuresti (1991 – 1995), postgraduate courses in Management and Local Finances with the Ecological University Bucuresti (2004) and ‘Security and good governance’ with the National College for Defense, Bucuresti (2008 – 2009) as well as a master degree in Management of public finances with SNSPA Bucuresti (2010 – 2012).He has been the chairman of PSD (since August 2020) and a party member since 1990.He occupied the position of legal adviser with ALCOM SRL (1998 -2007), interim prefect of Buzau county (November 2004), county councillor (2004 – 2008), executive manager with URBIS SERV SRL (2007 – 2008), vice-mayor of Buzau (2008 – 2012). He won a seat as deputy, representative of PSD in the electoral constituency no.10 Buzau for the elections of 2012, 2016 and 2020.Ciolacu was Deputy Prime Minister without portfolio (2017 - 2018) and also held the position of interim Minister of Defence (6 - 12 September 2017). On 13 June 2023, President Klaus Iohannis nominated him for the post of Prime Minister.He is running under the slogan ‘Vision for the nation’.*** position no.4 – NICOLAE CIUCA – Partidul National Liberal (National Liberal Party) Nicolae Ciuca is at present the President of the Romanian Senate. He was born on 7th February 1967 in Plenita, Dolj county. He graduated from the military highschool ‘Tudor Vladimirescu’ Craiova (1985), the Military School for Officers ‘ Nicolae Balcescu’ Sibiu (1988), Research Company Commanders Refresher Course, Fagaras (1990), Academy of Advanced Military Studies, specialty Combined Arms (1995) and several courses at the PfP centres in Bucharest and Ankara (1997).   In the Army, he rose from platoon commander (26th Mechanised Regiment "Rovine", Craiova, 1988 - 1989), staff officer (Operations Office, Craiova, 1992 - 1996 and 1997 - 1998, "UNAVEM III" mission, Angola, 1996 - 1997), chief of staff (26th Infantry Battalion "Neagoe Basarab", Craiova, 1998 - 2001, 26th Infantry Battalion - SACEUR strategic reserve, 2000), Commander (2004 - 2014) to Chief of the Land Forces General Staff (2014), Deputy Chief of the General Staff (2014 - 2015) and Chief of the Defence Staff (2015 - 2019).   He was minister of National Defence (4 November 2019 – 14 March 2020), interim prime-minister (2020) and minister of National Defence (December 2020; 2020 – 2021).After the parliamentary elections of 6 December 2020, he won a seat as senator representative of the PNL.He served as Prime Minister of Romania (December 2021 - 12 June 2023) and was elected President of the Senate on 13 June 2023. He has been president of the PNL since 10 April 2022.   He is running under the slogan "With honour and faith in the service of the country". *** position no 5 – HUNOR KELEMEN Uniunea Democrata Maghiara din Romania(Hungarian Democratic Union from Romania) Hunor Kelemen is a deputy. He was born on 18th October 1967 in Cira, Harghita county. He graduated from the Veterinary Medicine with the University for Agricultural Sciences Cluj-Napoca (1993) as well as the Faculty of Philosophy with University Babes-Bolyai (1998).Between 1990 and 1997, he was editor of the Hungarian-language programme of Radio Cluj, and between 1993 and 1997 he was editor of the cultural magazine "Korunk".He became a member of the UDMR in 1997 and has been its president since 2011. He was Secretary of State in the Ministry of Culture (1997 - 2000), Minister of Culture and National Heritage (23 December 2009 - 6 February 2012; 9 February 2012 - 7 May 2012); Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture and National Heritage (March - October 2014), Deputy Prime Minister (23 December 2020 - 25 November 2021; 25 November 2021 - June 2023). He has been an RMDSZ MP since 2000. He has run for President of Romania in the 2009, 2014 and 2019 elections.   He is running under the slogan ‘Respekt for everybody’. *** position no.6 – MIRCEA GEOANA - independent candidateMircea Geoana was Deputy Secretary General of NATO (2019 - 2024). He was born on 14 July 1958 in Bucharest. He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics at the Bucharest Polytechnic Institute and worked as an engineer at the Energomontaj Trust in Bucharest (1983 - 1990). Since 1987 he attended the Faculty of Law at the University of Bucharest.He joined the diplomatic corps in 1990, being assigned as a referent in Romania's relations with France. In 1991, he was appointed Director of the Department of European Affairs. In 1994, he completed the NATO course on democratic institutions. In 1995, he was appointed Director of the Directorate General for Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He was also spokesperson of the MFA (1993 - 1995).   In February 1996, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the United States of America.He was Minister of Foreign Affairs (2000 - 2004) and President of the Senate (December 2008 - November 2011). From his position as President of the Social Democratic Party (2005 - 2010), he ran in the 2009 presidential elections, but lost in the second round to Traian Basescu.He is running under the slogan ‘ Vision.Respect’.*** position no.7 – ANA BIRCHALL - independent candidateAna Birchall is a lawyer. She was born on 30th August 1973 in Mizil, Prahova county. She graduated from the Faculty of Law and International Relations’ Nicolae Titulescu’ (1996) and holds a licentiate in Legal Sciences from the University of Bucharest.She completed her Master’s (2000) and PhD (2002)at Yale Law School, USA.She was Head of the Legal Office at Omniasig S.A. (1996 - 1998); lawyer at White & Case LLP New York (2002 - 2003) and at the Bucharest representative office (2008 - 2010), Biris Goran (2010 - 2012), Musat and Associates (2012); advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2003 - 2004), lecturer at the "Dimitrie Cantemir" University of Bucharest (since 2005), advisor to the Prime Minister (July - December 2012).   She was a PSD member (2005 – 2019) being elected in the electoral constituency no.39 Vaslui in the elections of 2012 and 2016.   She was special representative for strategic projects and international relations at Nuclearelectrica (2022 - 2024). She is running under the slogan ‘We build Romania of trust’.***position no.8 – ALEXANDRA BERTALAN-PACURARU – Partidul Alternativa pentru Demnitate Nationala (Alternative for National Dignity Party)Alexandra Bertalan-Pacuraru is a co-founder and national coordinator of the Party Alternative for National Dignity. She was born on 30th June 1987, in Galati.She presented the show ‘8 in a boat’ broadcast by TVR2. She was a producer and moderator of the shows ‘Sovereign Romania’ and ‘Sovereign Romania Caravan’ with the Realitatea channel.She is a partner in ABP Consulting, Geopol International, Grup Financiar SA, Prestige Media Phg, Strategies Research Investments International and Strategic Metals Investments. She is running under the slogan ‘Romania rises with dignity’.*** position no.9 – SEBASTIAN CONSTANTIN POPESCU- Partidul Noua Romanie ( the New Romania Party)Sebastian-Constantin Popescu is the president of the New Romania Party. He was born on 12th February 1982 in Bals, Olt county. He graduated from the Faculty for Veterinary Medicine with the University for Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Banat,Timisoara (2006).He practiced for five years as a veterinarian in Bucharest before he moved to the media domain. He is an administrator of PR Media RTP and president of the Romanian Premium Tenis Association.In 2015 he founded PNR. He ran for the 2019 presidential elections.His electoral slogan is :’ A president in the service of Romania’. *** position no.10 – LUDOVIC ORBAN – Forta Dreptei (The force of the Right Wing)Ludovic Orban is an MP and president of the For?a Dreptei party. He was born on 25 May 1963 in Brasov. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Machine Construction Technology at the University of Brasov (1988) and postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Political Science at the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (1993). He started as a trainee engineer at Izolatorul Targu Secuiesc (1988 - 1990), then he was a technologist engineer at "Tractorul Brasov" (1990 - 1991); editor at the daily newspaper "Viitorul Romanesc" (1991 - 1992); Public Relations Director at the Romanian Energy Policy Agency (1997 - 1998); Secretary General at the Secretariat of State for Persons with Disabilities (1998 - 1999); Secretary of State, Head of the Public Information Department of the Government (1999 - 2000); Secretary of State, President of the National Agency of Civil Servants (2000 - 2001); Deputy Mayor of the Capital (2004 - 2007), Minister of Transport (2007 - 2008). In 1992 he became member of PNL holding the positions of president of PNL Bucharest (2002 – 2010), first vice-president of PNL (2009 – 2010) and president of PNL (2017 – 2021).Starting with 2008, he won three consecutive mandates as deputy in the electoral constituency no.42 Bucharest. He was president of the Deputies’ Chamber (2020 – 2021).He was prime-minister of Romania (November 2019 – March 2020; March – December 2020).In December 2021, he founded the Forta Dreptei party.He is running under the slogan ‘Honest with the Romanians’.*** position no.11 – CALIN GEORGESCU – independent candidateCalin Georgescu is associate professo rat the University of Pitesti (since September 2021). He was born on 26th March 1962 in Bucharest. He graduated with a master’s degree at the Faculty of Land Improvement and Environmental Engineering (1986)and a doctorate in Pedology (1999) at the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest, following studies in national security and defence at the National Defense College (2007).Former engineer at IEELIF Fagaras (1986 - 1990) and at the National Research and Development Institute for Land Improvement (1990 - 1991); Head of the Romanian Parliament's Senate Office for the Environment (1991); Advisor to the Minister of the Environment (1992); President of the Young Ecologist Association of Romania (1993 - 1996); Secretary General in the Ministry of the Environment (1997 - 1998); Director of the International Economic Organisations Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2004 - 2005); Project Manager in the United Nations Development Programme (1996 - 1997, 1998 - 2008); Executive Director of the Institute of Projects for Innovation and Development, coordinator of the project ''Reprofessionalisation of Romania'' (2006 - 2012) and of the National Centre for Sustainable Development (2000 - 2011), UN Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the transport of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on human rights at OHCHR Geneva (2011 - 2013), President of the European Research Centre of the Club of Rome (2013 - 2015), Special Adviser to the UN Director-General (2015 - 2016). Starting with 2016, he has been international adviser on environment protection and sustainable development.His electoral slogan is : ‘ Remake Romania’. **** position no.12 – CRISTIAN DIACONESCU – independent candidateCristian Diaconescu is a lawyer. He was born on 2 July 1959 in Bucharest. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest (1983), attended the Centre for Conflict Prevention's specialisation courses in the field of Confidence and Security Building Measures in Europe (1992) and later PhD studies in Legal Sciences (2007).   He was a judge at the Ilfov Agricultural District Court, the 4th District Court and the Bucharest Tribunal (1983 - 1990). Diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including at the Permanent Mission of Romania to the OSCE (1990 - 2004), he was Deputy Secretary General and Ambassador to the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (2000 - 2001).   He obtained a mandate as senator for Constanta on the lists of the National Union PSD+PUR after the elections of 2004.In 2004, he was appointed Minister of Justice, finalising the Justice and Home Affairs negotiations for Romania's accession to the European Union; he then held the portfolio of Minister of Foreign Affairs (2008 - 2009; 2012).   He also served as Foreign Relations Advisor and Head of the Chancellery of the Presidential Administration (2012 - 2014). He was vice-president of the PSD (2005 - 2010), honorary president of the UNPR (2010 - 2012). In 2013, he was among the initiators of the Popular Movement Foundation project, and in 2014 he joined the People's Movement Party.   Since 2013, he has been a member of the UN's Eminent Group of CTBTO and a professor of International Law, and since 2016 a visiting professor at the American University in Kuwait. In April 2024 he founded the independent platform ‘Respect for Romania’ as president.He is running under the slogan: ‘President for respected Romania’.*** position no.13 – CRISTIAN TERHES – Partidul National Conservator Roman (Romanian National Conservative Party). Cristian Terhes is an MEP in the European Conservatives and Reformists Group. He was born on 4 December 1978 in Zalau. By profession a theologian and communications specialist, Cristian Terhes was a priest and a business intelligence director. In 2019, he was elected MEP on the PSD list, and in 2024 - on the AUR list.   He was a member of the Social Democratic Party (2019 - 2020) and of the National Peasants' Christian Democratic Party (2020 - 2023), and since 1 December 2023 he is a member of the Romanian National Conservative Party. He was a member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (2019 – 2020).   His electoral slogan is "Faithful to the Romanian Nation". **** position no.14 – SILVIU PREDOIU - Partidul Liga Actiunii Nationale ( National Action League Party)Silviu Predoiu is a former foreign intelligence officer. He was born in 1958 in Bucharest. He graduated in Geology-Geography at the University of Bucharest. He began his managerial career in 1998 as head of office and then head of service; he was appointed head of directorate for Combating Organised Cross-Border Crime (2000); after 11 September 2001 he headed the Anti-Terrorism Directorate and since 2003 he was head of directorate in the security structure of the SIE.   In 2005, he was appointed by a CSAT decision as First Deputy to the Director of the SIE, a position he held until his retirement in 2018, during which time he served for a period as Acting Director of the SIE.   He founded the association 'Romania get involved' and later the National Action League Party (PLAN), running under the slogan 'You deserve a president at your service!'. XXXAccording to the Romanian Constitution (Article 80), the President represents the Romanian State and is the guarantor of national independence, unity and territorial integrity of the country. The President of Romania ensures that the Constitution is respected and that the public authorities function properly. To this end, the President mediates between the powers of the State and between the State and society. The President of Romania is elected by universal, equal, direct, secret and freely expressed vote. The candidate who received, in the first round of voting, the majority of votes of the voters registered in the electoral lists is declared elected. If none of the candidates has met the majority, the second voting round is organized, between the first two candidates established in the order of the number of votes obtained in the first round. The candidate who obtained the highest number of votes is declared elected.No person can serve as president of Romania for a maximum of two terms. These can be also successive, the Basic Law states.XXX In the last 35 years of free elections, in the first round of the presidential elections, the following candidates ran:*** 1990 - Ion Iliescu, Ion Ratiu, Radu Campeanu*** 1992 - Ion Iliescu, Emil Constantinescu, Gheorghe Funar, Ioan Manzatu, Caius Traian Dragomir, Mircea Druc*** 1996 - Ion Iliescu, Emil Constantinescu, Petre Roman, Corneliu Vadim Tudor, Gheorghe Funar, Gyorgy Frunda, Nicolae Manolescu, Radu Campeanu, Adrian Paunescu, Ioan Pop de Popa, Tudor Mohora, George Muntean, Constantin Niculescu, Constantin Mudava, Nutu Anghelina, Nicolae Militaru*** 2000 - Ion Iliescu, Corneliu Vadim Tudor, Theodor Stolojan, Mugur Isarescu, Gyorgy Frunda, Petre Roman, Teodor Melescanu, Gheorghe Eduard Manole, Graziela-Elena Birla, Paul-Philippe Hohenzollern, Ion Sasu, Niculae Cerveni*** 2004 - Adrian Nastase, Traian Basescu, Corneliu Vadim Tudor, Marko Bela, Gheorghe C. Ciuhandu, George Becali, Petre Roman, Gheorghe Dinu, Marian Petre Milut, Ovidiu Tudorici, Aurel Radulescu, Raj Tunaru*** 2009 - Crin Antonescu, Mircea Geoana, Kelemen Hunor, Traian Basescu, Sorin Oprescu, George Becali, Ovidiu Iane, Eduard Manole, Corneliu Vadim Tudor, Remus Cernea, Constantin Potarca, Constantin Rotaru*** 2014 - Victor Ponta, Klaus Iohannis, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, Elena Udrea, Monica Macovei, Dan Diaconescu, Corneliu Vadim Tudor, Kelemen Hunor, Teodor Melescanu, Szilagyi Zsolt, Gheorghe Funar, William Brinza, Constantin Rotaru, Mirel Mircea Amaritei*** 2019 - Klaus Iohannis, Theodor Paleologu, Dan Barna, Kelemen Hunor, Viorica Dancila, Catalin Ivan, Ninel Peia, Sebastian-Constantin Popescu, John-Ion Banu, Mircea Diaconu, Bogdan Stanoevici, Ramona-Ioana Bruynseels, Viorel Catarama, Alexandru Cumpanasu.