The ruling coalition in Romania, consisting of the left-leaning Social Democrats and the center-right liberals, has agreed to hold presidential elections on November 24 and December 8, with the parliamentary elections to be held in between, reports Reuters, quoted by News.bg.
The coalition, which plans to stay together after December's general election, faces the challenge of choosing separate contenders to succeed outgoing president Klaus Iohannis, which could lead to some tough discussions as Iohannis, a former leader of the Liberal party, ends his last term in office this December.
The coalition that came together in late 2021 has shown a united front recently. During the European Parliament elections in June, they joined forces and grabbed 48.6% of the vote. However, in the local elections held on the same day, they chose separate candidates, with the Social Democrats securing 37.6% of the vote and the Liberals 32.3%. Meanwhile, the far-right party AUR remains the third most popular choice, albeit by a significant margin.
The incoming government faces the difficult task of reducing the huge budget deficit and implementing reforms that are crucial to access billions in EU funds.
Once the presidency controls foreign policy, the next president will have a key role, especially in maintaining Romania's support for Ukraine amid ongoing tensions. As the candidate list is still being formed, polls do not yet show a clear front-runner.