Presidential elections 2025. Who are the 11 candidates for the Sunday poll and in what order they are on the ballot

Nine men and two women are registered in the race for Cotroceni, at the presidential elections 2025. Their order on the ballot was established by draw by the central electoral bureau. Seven of the 11 candidates represent a party, and the rest, four, are independent candidates, but some are supported by parties, as is the case with Nicușor Dan.

The order of the candidates on the ballot at the Sunday elections, May 4, will be as follows:

• Position 1 – George Nicolae Simion (Alliance for the Union of Romanians)
• Position 2 – George Crin Laurențiu Antonescu (Electoral Alliance Romania before)
• Position 3 – Elena Valerica Lasconi (will appear on the ballot as a USR candidate, although the party withdrew the support)
• Position 4 – Cristian Vasile Terheș (Romanian Conservative National Party)
• Position 5 – Marcela Lavinia Șandru (Social Liberal Humanist Party)
• Position 6 – Victor Viorel Ponta (independent candidate)
• Position 7 – Sebastian Constantin Popescu (New Romania Party)
• Position 8 – Silviu Predoiu (League of National Action League)
• Position 9-John-Ion Banu-Muscel (independent candidate)
• Position 10 – Petru Daniel Funeriu (independent candidate)
• Position 11-Nicușor-Daniel Dan (independent candidate).

George Simion – the golden candidate

The 38-year-old co-founder of the Gold Party, along with Claudiu Târgiu, George Simion has a ban on entering the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.

Simion came to the attention of public opinion in 2009, when Ion Iliescu lit in front of the house, on the day the former president was 79 years old. Also, the Gold leader launched the “Action 2012” platform and became one of the main promoters of the Union with the Republic of Moldova.

George Simion was constantly appearing in opinion polls on the intention to vote in the 2025 presidential elections as a detached leader.

Crin Antonescu – PSD candidate, PNL, UDMR and national minorities

At the age of 65, Crin Antonescu returned to public life after 10 years of absence, before this year's presidential elections.

In 2012, he participated in the procedure for dismissing Traian Basescu from the position of president, a controversial action that aroused international criticisms.

In 2017, he stated that he would not return to politics “even if Brătianu resurrects.” A year later, the former president of the Liberals announced that he had submitted his documents to enter the PNL list for the 2019 MEP.

Elena Lasconi – USR candidate

The president of the USR, Elena Lasconi, who is mayor in Campulung Muscel, applied for the presidential elections on March 13, after several discussions, including in the party, whether or not to withdraw to support Nicușor Dan.

Subsequently, the National Party Office decided to withdraw it to her political support. Although left without funding from his own party, Lasconi decided not to withdraw from the race for Cotroceni.

Cristian Terheș – PNCR candidate

Cristian Terheș (46 years old) is a MEP in the second term, chosen on golden lists. In his first term he was chosen on the PSD lists. Terheș also ran in 2024 in the presidential elections. Then, an appeal filed by him led to the RCC decision to rename the votes.

Terheș is a theologian and graduate of the Faculty of Greek-Catholic Theology of the Babeș-Bolyai University, the Oradea Department. In 2002 he emigrated to the United States, where he continued his studies and worked for several private companies, according to the CV published by him.

In the presidential elections of 2024, Terheș obtained 1.04%, ie 95,783 votes.

Lavinia Șandru – Pusl

Former TV producer Lavinia Șandru (50 years old) has been applying for the bulb on March 14, at which time she was delayed by several supporters of Călin Georgescu.

Lavinia Șandru was deprived between 2004-2008 and journalist at Realitatea TV. Șandru was the communication coordinator Pusl, a party founded by Dan Voiculescu.

Victor Ponta – Independent

Former prime minister, former president of the PSD and the current deputy elected on the PSD lists, Victor Ponta (52 years old) was excluded for the second time in the party exactly on the day he applied for the bulb, on March 12. He had a series of attacks on Crin Antonescu, the candidate supported by the party now led by Marcel Ciolacu.

Victor Ponta resigned from the position of prime minister in 2015, after the tragedy from the Collective, after which 65 young people died.

In 2012, he initiated, together with Crin Antonescu, along with USL, the dismissal of President Traian Basescu. Basescu's dismissal referendum did not pass, being invalidated by the RCC, because he did not meet the minimum participation rate, ie 50%+1.

In 2014, when he applied for the same position from the PSD, Victor Ponta won the first round with 40.44%, ie 3,836,093 votes. He was defeated in the second round by Klaus Iohannis, who obtained 54.43% (6,288,769 votes), compared to Ponta, who received 45.57% (5,264,383 votes).

Sebastian Constantin Popescu – PNR candidate

Sebastian Constantin Popescu (43 years old) is Abslovent of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Timisoara.

He is president of the New Romania Party and presents himself as a journalist at “Exclusivenews”, according to his CV, published on elections.hotnews.ro.

Silviu Predoiu – Plan candidate

Former number 2 of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) has applied for the presidential elections on the last day when he could do so, on March 15th.

Silviu Predoiu (66 years old) was the first deputy of the director of SIE between 2005 and 2018. He also fulfilled the position of interim director of the SIE during the periods July 20 and October 4, 2006; March 19-December 5, 2007; February 8-February 77, 2012, September 23, 2014-29 June 2015, September 26, 2016-July 3, 2018. He founded the Plan Party in 2022.

At the canceled presidential elections of 2024, Silviu Predoiu ranked last place, with 0.12%, ie 11,246 votes.

John-Ion Banu-Muscel-Independent

Banu-Muscel (64 years old) is presented as a Romanian-American businessman. According to newsprotv.ro, in the United States, he created Romanian-American League (Romanian-American League), a Romanian association from Florida.

Daniel Funeriu – independent

Former Minister of Education in the Boc Government, Daniel Funeriu has applied for president on March 15. He was accompanied by the Olympic students and their parents.

As a chemist profession, a former member of PLD, PDL and PMP, Daniel Funeriu (53 years old) was also a MEP between December 2008-July 2009.

Nicușor Dan – independent

Nicușor Dan (55 years old), the general mayor of the capital in the second term, announced his intention to run for this year's presidential elections on December 16, 2024, a few days after the first elections were canceled.

He was among the first candidates to apply for the bulb on March 7.