The presidential election in Romania

The prime minister leads in the Romanian presidential election

Incumbent Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is leading in the first round of the Romanian presidential election, according to two polling stations. This is reported by AFP.

He gets around 25 percent of the vote, while centre-right challenger Elena Lasconi gets 18 percent. The far-right's two candidates get 16 and 15 percent respectively.

A preliminary election result is expected on Monday. With neither candidate looking likely to get over 50 percent, the election is headed for a second and decisive round, with the top two candidates, on December 8.

Analyzes: The best choice when the candidate stood on his head

The Romanian presidential election campaign has been full of filth and smearing, but very empty of actual policy proposals. That's what Marian Chiriac writes in an analysis in Balkan Insight.

He states that the raucous campaigning reached its climax when a 60-year-old candidate stood on his head and declared that "the country has ended up upside down."

In Deustche Welle, Keno Verseck shares the analysis that politics was rather absent in the election campaign, which was mainly characterized by accusations of corruption and nationalist overtures.

The most likely therefore is that it will be the social democratic PSD that leaves with the victory on Sunday.

"Regardless of what they are called, the PSD does not have a social democratic orientation, but mostly mixes right-wing populist and nationalist positions with left-wing rhetoric."