Romanian PM withdraws presidential race regardless of poll result

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced Thursday that he is withdrawing from the presidential race, even if a court-ordered recount proves he was disadvantaged in the first round of the election, reported Xinhua.

Ciolacu called for transparency and urged the Central Electoral Bureau to allow civic organizations to observe the recount process in a Facebook post on Thursday evening.

His decision follows the mandate of Romania's Constitutional Court to recount all ballots from the election on Nov. 24 after allegations of fraud were raised by Cristian Terhes, a conservative candidate and a member of the European Parliament.

Despite announcing his withdrawal, Ciolacu, also leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), reaffirmed the PSD's focus on securing victory in the parliamentary elections scheduled for Dec. 1.