Nearly 18 million voters are expected to go to the polls on Sunday to elect the president for the next five years, choosing between the two candidates who have reached the final round of the race for Cotroceni.

Across the country, 18,979 polling stations have been organised, according to the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP). In the capital, 1,289 stations will be open. Romanians eligible to vote from abroad will cast their ballots in 965 polling stations.

According to the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), the electoral operations for the second round of voting will take place in the same polling stations as in the first round. In well-justified cases, the locations of polling stations used for the second round of the presidential election may differ from those used in the first round, provided that accessibility and public notice are ensured at least three days before election day. If the location changes less than three days before election day, the change must be made public immediately.

Romanian citizens who are at least 18 years old by election day are eligible to vote. Those who are legally incapacitated or under guardianship, as well as persons deprived of electoral rights by final court decision, are not allowed to vote.

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On May 18, voters may cast their constitutional vote at one of the following polling stations:

If the voter is located in the administrative area where they have their domicile or residence, they can only vote at the polling station assigned to the street or locality of their domicile or residence, according to the law. A voter with domicile or residence in Bucharest cannot vote in a different sector than the one in which they reside but may vote at any polling station in another county.

If the voter is in a different administrative area than where they have their domicile or residence, they may vote at any polling station in that area.

If the voter is abroad, they may vote at any polling station organised abroad.

If the voter is a member of the electoral bureau, a computer operator at a polling station, or responsible for maintaining order, they vote at the station where they are performing their duties.

If the voter has limited mobility, they may vote at any station that provides access to the voting process.

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Voters cast their ballots using a valid identity document issued by the Romanian state on election day. These documents include: identity card; electronic identity card; provisional identity card; identity booklet; diplomatic passport; electronic diplomatic passport; service passport; electronic service passport; military service booklet (for students in military schools).

Ordinary passports, electronic passports and temporary passports can be used to vote only by Romanian citizens voting abroad or those with a domicile abroad who are voting in Romania.

The Central Electoral Bureau clarified the case of voters who hold electronic identity cards that no longer include printed information regarding their domicile. These voters will be added to the supplementary electoral list.

According to Article II, point 6 of Government Emergency Ordinance No. 17/2025 amending Law No. 119/1996 on civil status documents and Government Emergency Ordinance No. 97/2005 on the evidence of domicile, residence and identity documents of Romanian citizens, the domicile address has been removed from the printed format of electronic ID cards.

„In the case of individuals voting with such electronic identity cards at polling stations where they are entered on the supplementary electoral list, the electoral bureau members cannot fill in the domicile section with verified official documents. In these cases, the president of the electoral bureau must contact the Technical Support Centre managed by the Special Telecommunications Service, which will redirect them to the Directorate General for Persons Records to provide the domicile information necessary for completing the supplementary electoral list,” BEC points out.

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In the country, voting takes place on Sunday between 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM. Voters who are inside the polling station or in line outside by 9:00 PM can vote until no later than 11:59 PM.

At the polling station, voters present their ID to computer operators, who record and input their personal data into the Voting Presence Monitoring and Illegal Voting Prevention System (SIMPV).

SIMPV flags whether: The person is under 18 years old by election day; The person has been prohibited from voting; The voter is assigned to the current polling station; The voter is assigned to another polling station; The voter is not listed on the permanent electoral roll; The voter has already voted in the same election; The voter has voted by mail and their vote has been received by the electoral office.

Voters mark their choice in a closed booth by stamping „VOTED” inside the box containing the name of one of the two candidates. Voters who are unable to vote on their own due to valid reasons (as determined by the polling station president) may be assisted in the booth by a person of their choice – excluding accredited personnel, electoral bureau members, or candidates.

After voting, the voter must place the ballot in the ballot box. The stamp used for voting must be returned to the polling station’s president or designated bureau members.

Attempting to vote more than once or without legal right is punishable under criminal law.

Additionally, a voter who, due to illness or disability (proven by documentation), is unable to go to the polling station – known as a non-transportable voter – may request to vote using the mobile ballot box.

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The final race for Cotroceni remains between two candidates from the original 11: George Simion (the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR) and Nicusor Dan (independent).

George Simion, AUR’s candidate, received 3,862,761 votes (40.96%) in the first round of voting on May 4, followed by independent candidate Nicusor Dan, who received 1,979,767 votes (20.99%), according to final results announced by the Central Electoral Bureau.

The total number of voters who participated in the first round was 9,571,899, representing 53.19% of all registered voters on the permanent electoral roll.

AGERPRES