Editing Politics of Romania (section)

=== 2024–present===
In 2024, all 4 types of elections took place in Romania, a first in the post-December history of the country. [[2024 European Parliament election in Romania|European Parliament election]] and [[2024 Romanian local elections|the local election]] took place simultaneously on June 9, the European Parliament election being won by the [[National Coalition for Romania|PSD-PNL Alliance]], and the local ones by the [[Social Democratic Party (Romania)|Social Democratic Party]] (which ran separately from the [[National Liberal Party (Romania)|liberals]] in most counties). The European Parliament and local elections also provided positive results for the [[Romanian nationalism|nationalist]] parties such as the [[Alliance for the Union of Romanians]] (AUR) which sent 5 MEPs to the [[European Parliament]] and the more radical formation [[S.O.S. Romania]] which sent 2 MEPs. Also, in these elections, AUR strengthened its position in the territory by winning important seats in the county and local councils. Also, the simultaneous organization of the 2 elections on the same day was also met with problems and reports related to electoral fraud, the biggest scandals that came to the surface after the election were in sector 1 and sector 2 of [[Bucharest]].

[[2024 Romanian presidential election|2024 presidential election]] took place on November 24. The 1st round of the elections provided results that overturned any prediction prior to the election: the [[Independent politician|independent]] and [[Nationalism|nationalist]] candidate [[Călin Georgescu]] won the first round of the elections, obtaining 22.94% of the votes validly cast, followed by [[Elena Lasconi]] who obtained 19.18% of the votes. The 1st round also offered another premiere in the post-1989 history of Romania: [[Social Democratic Party (Romania)|Social Democratic Party]] (PSD) failed to qualify his candidate, [[Marcel Ciolacu]], in the 2nd round, thus losing the elections from the first round. Also, the [[National Liberal Party (Romania)|national-liberals]] obtained their weakest result in post-1989 history, [[Nicolae Ciucă]] obtaining only 8.79% of the votes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/romania-in-shock-after-far-right-candidate-wins-first-round-of-presidential-election-13260461|title=Romania in shock after far-right candidate wins first round of presidential election|publisher=Sky News|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Henley|first=Jon|title=Shock as pro-Russia independent wins first round of Romanian election|date=2024-11-25|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/25/calin-georgescu-romania-election-hard-right-candidate|work=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=2024-12-30}}</ref> A weak result was also recorded by the president of the [[Alliance for the Union of Romanians]], after it was widely speculated that [[George Simion]] would reach the second round.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/romania-elections-president-europe-nato-a6e3bd3f26272c4a9ab9337789f09da8|title=Far-right populist surprises in Romanian presidential election appearing set to enter runoff|publisher=AP News|date=2024-11-24|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=en}}</ref> After failing to qualify in the 2nd round, Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation as leader of the Social Democratic Party on November 25. However, he chose to remain as prime minister until a new government was formed following legislative election on 1 December.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.romania-insider.com/marcel-ciolacu-resigns-leader-psd-presidential-defeat-2024|title=Marcel Ciolacu resigns as leader of Romania’s Social Democrats after presidential defeat, Liberal leadership also under pressure|publisher=Romania Insider|date=2024-11-25|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=en}}</ref> Amid discussions about the role of social networks and the strong presence of Călin Georgescu, Ciolacu also called for Georgescu's campaign funding on [[TikTok]] to be reviewed, while MEP and [[Renew Europe]] leader [[Valérie Hayer]] asked the TikTok CEO to answer questions about the platform's role in the elections before the [[European Parliament]], citing the [[Digital Services Act]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/elections-tiktok-ceo-eu-parliament-romania-election-fake-accounts-pro-russia-calin-georgescu-nato-shock-victory/|title=TikTok CEO summoned to European Parliament over role in shock Romania election|publisher=POLITICO|date=2024-11-26|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=en-GB}}</ref> Klaus Iohannis, convened the meeting of the [[Supreme Council of National Defence (Romania)|Supreme Council of National Defense]], on the subject of possible risks to national security generated by the actions of some state and non-state cyber actors on some IT&C infrastructures, during the presidential elections. The CSAT meeting took place at the Cotroceni Palace on November 28, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://adevarul.ro/politica/iohannis-a-convocat-csat-pe-tema-unor-posibile-2404751.html|title=Iohannis a convocat CSAT pe tema unor posibile riscuri la adresa securității naționale în contextul alegerilor|publisher=adevarul.ro|date=2024-11-27|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro}}</ref> [[Constitutional Court of Romania]] had a deadline for validating the first round of the presidential election on November 28, 2024. The electoral campaign for the second round of voting began on November 29 and ended on December 7, at 07:00.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.agerpres.ro/politica/2024/11/25/prezidentiale2024-validarea-primului-tur-de-catre-ccr-si-inceperea-campaniei-electorale-repere-ale-acestei-saptamani--1392886|title=Prezidențiale2024/ Validarea primului tur de către CCR și începerea campaniei electorale -..|publisher=www.agerpres.ro|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro}}</ref> On November 28, 2024, the Court has decided recounting all votes of the 1st round of presidential election.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/politica/ccr-discuta-astazi-doua-cereri-de-anulare-a-primului-tur-al-alegerilor-prezidentiale-3024023|title=Fără precedent: CCR a cerut BEC renumărarea celor peste 9,4 milioane de voturi din primul tur prezidențial|publisher=www.digi24.ro|date=2024-11-28|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro}}</ref> Following the recount, the first round was validated.<ref>{{Citation|last=Vulcan|first=Dora|title=CCR a validat primul tur al prezidențialelor. Turul doi, pe 8 decembrie. Ce spun cei doi candidați. Pregătiri pentru viitoarea guvernare|date=2024-12-03|url=https://romania.europalibera.org/a/ccr-a-validat-primul-tur-al-prezidentialelor-romanii-pot-merge-la-vot-in-turul-doi-pe-8-decembrie/33224009.html|work=Europa Liberă România|language=ro|access-date=2024-12-30|last2=Grădinaru|first2=Anca}}</ref> However, on December 4, 2024, President Iohannis declassified the CSAT documents that confirmed the involvement of a foreign state actor in the elections.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hotnews.ro/iohannis-a-declasificat-documentele-prezentate-in-sedinta-csat-despre-calin-georgescu-sri-a-gasit-797-de-conturi-create-in-2016-conservate-si-activate-la-capacitate-maxima-1853640|title=Iohannis a declasificat documentele din CSAT. SRI a găsit 797 de conturi TikTok create în 2016 pentru Georgescu, conservate și „activate” în campania electorală / Tik Tok a recunoscut că a încasat 381.000 de dolari - HotNews.ro|date=2024-12-04|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro-RO}}</ref> The new evidence forced the Constitutional Court to make the decision to annul the first round and entirely restart the electoral process, unprecedented decision in Romania's history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digi24.ro/alegeri-prezidentiale-2024/curtea-constitutionala-a-decis-anularea-primului-turul-al-alegerilor-prezidentiale-3036247|title=Curtea Constituțională a anulat alegerile prezidențiale și a decis că tot procesul va fi reluat de la zero. Principalele reacții|publisher=www.digi24.ro|date=2024-12-06|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro}}</ref> Following the annulment of the elections, the stock indices started to rise<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/economie/cresteri-de-peste-3-la-bursa-de-valori-bucuresti-ca-urmare-a-anularii-alegerilor-prezidentiale-3036551|title=Creșteri de peste 3% la Bursa de Valori București, ca urmare a anulării alegerilor prezidențiale|publisher=www.digi24.ro|date=2024-12-06|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro}}</ref> after a few days of decline.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hotnews.ro/bursa-romaneasca-isi-continua-scaderea-minus-de-aproape-3-in-deschidere-1853149|title=Bursa românească își continuă scăderea: minus de peste 3% în deschidere - HotNews.ro|date=2024-12-04|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro-RO}}</ref>

[[2024 Romanian parliamentary election|2024 parliamentary election]] took place on December 1. They took place within a relatively tense context and [[Political polarization|polarization]] in society as a result of the events that followed the 1st round of the presidential elections on November 24 such as the [[2024 Romanian anti-extremism protests|anti-extremism demonstrations]] and the counter-demonstrations of Călin Georgescu's supporters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hotnews.ro/tinerii-se-mobilizeaza-pentru-a-treia-zi-de-proteste-impotriva-lui-calin-georgescu-si-anunta-o-alta-locatie-in-bucuresti-piata-victoriei-1846763|title=VIDEO Proteste anti-Georgescu în București și alte orașe. Aproape 2.500 de participanți în Piața Victoriei: „SRI, rușine mare, ești complice la trădare” / Un presupus susținător al lui Georgescu, în mijlocul manifestanților pro-democrație / Contramanifestație la Universitate: „Rusia nu ne-ar ataca niciodată” - HotNews.ro|date=2024-11-27|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro-RO}}</ref> The parliamentary election were won by the ruling [[Social Democratic Party (Romania)|social-democrats]], but with a lower score compared to the previous election in 2020. The official results indicated a hung parliament that requires the formation of a broad governing coalition for a stable majority. In the first days after the parliamentary election, there was discussion about the formation of a cordon sanitaire to isolate the so-called [[Sovereignism|sovereignist]] block (consisting of the parties AUR, [[S.O.S. Romania|SOS RO]] and [[Party of Young People|POT]]) and the formation of a stable pro-European coalition formed by PSD, PNL, [[Save Romania Union|USR]], [[Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania|UDMR]] and [[Romanian ethnic minority parties|ethnic minority parties]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/politica/coalitia-pro-europeana-negocieri-pentru-viitorul-guvern-cine-ar-putea-fi-candidatul-comun-la-alegerile-prezidentiale-3041919|title=Coaliția pro-europeană, negocieri pentru viitorul Guvern. Cine poate fi candidatul comun la alegerile prezidențiale|publisher=www.digi24.ro|date=2024-12-11|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro}}</ref> As a result of the annulment of the first round of presidential election, [[Renewing Romanian's European Project|REPER]] requested the [[Permanent Electoral Authority (Romania)|Central Electoral Office]] to annul the [[2024 Romanian parliamentary election|parliamentary election]] emphasizing that the reasons that led to the decision of the CCR are also valid for the parliamentary election.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hotnews.ro/reper-cere-anularea-alegerilor-parlamentare-avem-date-evidente-care-indica-ingerinta-rusiei-1855616|title=REPER cere anularea alegerilor parlamentare: „Avem date evidente care indică ingerința Rusiei” - HotNews.ro|date=2024-12-06|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro-RO}}</ref> [[Vlad Gheorghe]], the leader of the party [[Justice and Respect in Europe for All Party|DREPT]], also called for the annulment of the parliamentary elections citing (the same "causes"): "Russian interference", "manipulation and disinformation of the population”.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digi24.ro/alegeri-parlamentare-2024/vlad-gheorghe-liderul-partidului-drept-anunta-ca-a-cerut-anularea-alegerilor-parlamentare-au-fost-tot-sub-razboi-hibrid-3036699|title=Partidele DREPT și Reper au cerut și anularea alegerilor parlamentare. „Au fost tot sub război hibrid”|publisher=www.digi24.ro|date=2024-12-06|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro}}</ref>

Meanwhile, the negotiations between PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR have reached an impasse, USR making several requests to the potential coalition partners such as tax cuts, the resignation of the president [[Klaus Iohannis]], the rapid adoption of the new budget, the start of the procedures for the initiation of the referendum "no convicted criminals from holding public office" and the resignation of the heads of the intelligence services.<ref>{{Citation|last=Vulcan|first=Dora|title=USR a cerut coaliției să adopte bugetul până luni, să-i demită pe șeful AEP, pe șefii de servicii și să ceară demisia lui Iohannis|date=2024-12-18|url=https://romania.europalibera.org/a/usr-a-cerut-coalitiei-sa-adopte-bugetul-2025-pana-luni-sa-i-demita-pe-seful-aep-pe-sefii-de-servicii-si-sa-ceara-demisia-lui-iohannis-/33244834.html|work=Europa Liberă România|language=ro|access-date=2024-12-30}}</ref> In the end, the USR stayed out of the negotiations on the future governing coalition<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://adevarul.ro/politica/elena-lasconi-explica-de-ce-usr-a-fost-exclus-din-2410152.html|title=Elena Lasconi explică de ce USR a fost exclus din coaliția pro-europeană: „Noi ne dorim să fim la guvernare, ei nu ne vor”|publisher=adevarul.ro|date=2024-12-20|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro}}</ref> thus the return of the old PSD-PNL-UDMR-minorities formula that was between 2021 and 2023 during the [[Ciucă Cabinet]] materialized. On December 23, 2024, the new government was invested with a fragile majority (a little over 50%), [[Second Ciolacu cabinet]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/ro/guvernul-ciolacu-2-%C3%AEnvestit-cu-o-majoritate-fragil%C4%83/a-71149090|title=Guvernul Ciolacu 2, învestit cu o majoritate fragilă – DW – 23.12.2024|publisher=dw.com|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2024-12-30 |date=2024-12-30 |lang=ro |publisher=euronews.ro: Știri de ultimă oră, breaking news, #AllViews |title=VIDEO Guvernul Ciolacu 2, votat la limită, după ce a fost învestit pe repede înainte. Miniștrii au depus jurământul la Cotroceni |url=https://www.euronews.ro/articole/noul-guvern-ciolacu-investit-azi-audierile-ministrilor-si-votul-in-parlament}}</ref> The new government decided, in the meeting of December 28, that the date of the new presidential elections in 2025 would be March 23 for the 1st round and April 6 for the 2nd round.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hotnews.ro/data-alegerilor-prezidentiale-va-fi-aprobata-de-guvern-in-prima-sedinta-din-anul-2025-1870973|title=Data alegerilor prezidențiale va fi aprobată de Guvern în prima ședință din anul 2025 - HotNews.ro|date=2024-12-30|accessdate=2024-12-30|lang=ro-RO}}</ref> Later in January 2025 the government set the final calendar for the presidential elections: May 4th for the 1st round and May 18th for the 2nd round.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digi24.ro/alegeri-prezidentiale-2025/calendarul-alegerilor-prezidentiale-2025-perioada-electorala-incepe-pe-18-februarie-iar-campania-pe-4-aprilie-3101691|title=Calendarul alegerilor prezidenţiale 2025. Perioada electorală începe pe 18 februarie, iar campania, pe 4 aprilie|date=2025-01-30|accessdate=2025-02-28|lang=ro-RO}}</ref>