Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on Monday announced his resignation as the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) after he failed to win a place in the second round of the country’s presidential election.
At a press conference, Ciolacu confirmed he will remain in the caretaker role until the upcoming parliamentary election on December 1. He is the first Social Democratic leader to fail to make the runoff in 35 years, an embarrassment for Romania’s biggest party.
Nicolae Ciuca, the chairman of the Liberal Party and a former prime minister, also announced his resignation on Monday after he came fifth with just 8.79% of the vote.
Preliminary results of the first round of the elections show that independent candidate Calin Georgescu came from nowhere to score a stunning win to take the majority of the votes, followed by Campulung Mayor Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union (USR).
The second round will be held on December 8.
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