Romania's incumbent President Klaus Iohannis votes at a polling station in Bucharest, capital of Romania, Nov. 24, 2019. Romania has held a second round of presidential elections on Sunday and over 18 million voters will select their next head of state between incumbent President Klaus Iohannis and Social Democratic leader Viorica Dancila. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)
BUCHAREST, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Romania has held a second round of presidential elections on Sunday and over 18 million voters will select their next head of state between incumbent President Klaus Iohannis and Social Democratic leader Viorica Dancila.
The incumbent president won the first round of the election by 37.82 percent, more than 15 percent over Dancila on Nov. 10.
The two leading candidates remained for the presidential runoff among a total of 14 candidates competed for the head of state.
"Today is a very, very important day. I personally have voted for a modern, European, normal Romania," said Iohannis, candidate of the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL), after voting at a polling station in the capital city.
Iohannis called on voters to turn out to vote "for Romania's future, for the direction in which Romania should go further."
Dancila told the media that the vote today can shape up a different future for Romania.
"I have voted with my heart and from the heart for Romania and the Romanians," she said, adding that she decided to run for the highest position in the country for "more involvement, more work, more respect and devotion for the Romanian people and for our national interests."
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, leader of the PNL, said he voted for a Romania that is respected in the world, where each should have the chance to succeed in life and where the state institutions should serve the citizen.
"I am not nervous about the victory of the candidate we support, only about the score, and I hope it will be an as categorical as possible score, so that the Romanians' will ... (could) be as clear and as strongly expressed as possible on the occasion of the second round of presidential elections," he said.
Polling stations in Romania will close at 9:00 p.m. local time (1900 GMT), while overseas voting started on Friday for a three-day voting session.
A total of 18,748 polling stations were set up nationwide, while for the Romanian citizens abroad, 835 polling stations were prepared, according to the Permanent Electoral Authority.
Romania's president is elected every five years, with two successive terms allowed.
