Candidates react to Iohannis' victory in Romania presidential elections / Winner claims "victory" for a normal Romania and most serious defeat for the PSD

The winner of Romania’s presidential elections on Sunday, incumbent president Klaus Iohannis said as exit polls were announced that his victory was „the most important one against the [Social Democratic Party] PSD” and a victory of „normal Romania”. For her part, loser Viorica Dancila of the PSD noted he appeared to have won more votes than her party in the European elections earlier this year.

In his victory speech, Iohannis said the win was important, especially more so as it was the „clearest victory ever obtained against the PSD”. But he said that the fight was not over as „there are many things to mend” after years of PSD government.

• The PSD, led by Viorica Dancila, who lost the elections today, has led Romania for the past 3 years until it was dismissed in a censure motion earlier this fall. This period was marked by massive protests against PSD attempts to weaken the independence of justice and the rule of law.

Iohannis said in his victory speech that he would be a president of all Romanians as every body has to contribute to building a „normal Romania”.

While exit polls showed Iohannis won double the votes received by Dancila, the latter said as exit polls were announced that the „PSD has won once again the trust of those who voted for us in [the general elections of] 2016”.

She said that, with 3 million votes recorded in her favor today, the party had similar numbers to those received in 2016, when it won the general elections. At the time, turnout was lower.

As she thanked voters and party supporters, she claimed the party recovered votes it had lost in the European elections earlier this year, when it suffered a major loss.

She said the result helped the party as it prepares for local and general elections next year.