The electoral campaign for the first round of the presidential elections is over

The electoral campaign for the first round of the presidential elections is over and it is a day of reflection in the country ahead of Sunday's vote, when more than 18 million Romanians are expected to go to the polls.

There will be 18.968 polling stations across Romania, most of them in the capital, where Bucharest residents will also have a local referendum.

In the diaspora, it is already the second day that Romanians are voting for the next president in the 950 polling stations they have at their disposal. Just over 45.600 citizens had cast their vote by 7am, with almost 8.000 in the UK and around 5.000 each in Germany, Moldova and Italy.

A lower turnout was recorded in France, as RRA correspondent Daniela Coman reports.

On the first voting day for Romanians abroad, less than 2.000 voters cast their ballots in the 68 polling stations organized in France and Monaco. Here is what some of them expect from these elections:

- I don't know if we will be able to change anything yet. We came to vote for Romania, because we have family back home, for them yes, some change may be for the better, hopefully.
- I expect a president who will represent us with honor abroad, first of all. He should be able to hold cordial talks with his counterparts.
- Let it be better for everyone, for all Romanians.
- What else could the Romanian state do for the diaspora, for example?
- I don't know, to convince us to return to Romania, to be closer to our parents, our brothers and sisters.

Voting in the diaspora closes at 9pm on Saturday and Sunday.

The electoral process can be extended until 23:59 on both days if there are still people waiting in line at 21:00 to exercise their constitutional right.

In the country, presidential voting takes place tomorrow between 7:00 and 21:00, with the possibility of an extension until 23:59 under the conditions provided by law.

Translated by: Radu Matei