The date of the presidential election this year has been agreed on November 10, the first round, with November 24 for the runoff vote, following a preliminary discussion between PM Viorica Dancila and the representatives of the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP).
The decision will be officially taken by a government resolution that has been drafted by AEP and with Interior Ministry as co-initiator.
The draft will be sent by AEP to the Interior Ministry today and might be adopted by the Government next week.
The past presidential election has been in November 2014, with Klaus Iohannis winning it after the runoff vote.
President Klaus Iohannis has stated in Brussels on Sunday, before the European Council meeting, that he wants to be Romania’s president, thus rejecting one more time information that he would eye a top position to the European Council or to the European Commission.
The latest IMAS survey released yesterday says that Klaus Iohannis would win a second term at Cotroceni.
Ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD) has not yet decided its candidate, with several names expected to race inside the party to be designated the presidential candidate. PM Dancila said she would not join this race, with Eugen Teodorovici, Liviu Plesoianu and Serban Nicolae voicing intention to run so far.
At the same time, Dancila has somehow rejected the version proposed by former PSD PM Victor Ponta and agreed by Calin Popescu Tariceanu to have a PSD-ALDE-PRO Romania common candidate for Cotroceni.
As for the USR-PLUS Alliance, they are expected to choose a presidential candidate during the Congress on July 13. The best ranked are USR chairman Dan Barna and PLUS chairman Dacian Ciolos.