Initially viewed as a minor candidate with little chance of victory, Georgescu quickly gained significant support through campaigning on non-traditional media outlets such as TikTok, receiving particular popularity among those disaffected with current Romanian politics, including youth, farmers, rural voters, and members of the working class.

[6] Leading issues included corruption, LGBTQ rights, the role of Christianity in public life, and the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.

He has favoured increasing the role of Christianity in public life, promised to outlaw "LGBT propaganda",[7] put forward plans towards partly nationalising important industries,[8] and promoted neutrality and national sovereignty, as well as non-interventionism towards the Ukrainian War, without exiting NATO or the European Union.

Lasconi supports secularism, further European integration, alignment with the United States and the West, and increasing military funding towards Ukraine.

Georgescu's campaign has been endorsed by an assortment of Christian democratic, nationalist and agrarian political parties, including the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, S.O.S.

Following vote rigging allegations made by a minor candidate, the Constitutional Court of Romania ordered a recount,[13][14] but ultimately decided to confirm the results of the first round on 2 December.

[15] On 6 December, the Constitutional Court reversed their decision and controversially annulled the first round of the election,[16] after intelligence documents were declassified stating that Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote Georgescu.

[23] This ultimately did not come to pass, as Dutch former Prime Minister Mark Rutte was chosen to succeed the incumbent Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Former Prime Minister and former PNL president Ludovic Orban stated in Tecuci, Galați County, on 22 May 2021, that he did not "rule out" a candidacy in 2024.

[29] Asked about considering a presidential candidacy, member of the Chamber of Deputies, Alexandru Rafila vaguely answered on 4 July 2021 "never say never" but underlined that running for president is "definitely not my goal".

[41] On 23 March 2022, Cristian Diaconescu was excluded from the party by the new leadership, thus losing his presidential candidate status previously granted by the PMP.

On 18 November 2024, during a live TV debate, Ludovic Orban announced his withdrawal from the presidential race and his endorsement to Elena Lasconi, the USR candidate.

Romania candidate Diana Șoșoacă from running, ruling that her public statements and conduct "systematically" violate the country's constitutional foundation of membership in Euro-Atlantic structures.

[48][49] In response, Șoșoacă claimed "this proves the Americans, Israelis and the European Union have plotted to rig the Romanian election before it has begun".

Recently reelected Moldovan president Maia Sandu, who is also a Romanian citizen, announced her support for Elena Lasconi in the second round of the election.

[10][11] The underwhelming performance of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu led to the first presidential election in the history of post-communist Romania in which the Social Democratic candidate did not make it to the second round of voting.

After failing to advance to the runoff, Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation as leader of the Social Democratic Party on 25 November; however, he will remain the Prime Minister until a new government is formed following parliamentary elections on 1 December.

[497] Amid discussion over the role of social media in Călin Georgescu's strong showing, Ciolacu also called for funding for Georgescu's campaign on TikTok to be reviewed, while MEP and Renew Europe leader Valérie Hayer called on TikTok's CEO to answer questions about the platform's role in the election before the European Parliament, citing the Digital Services Act.

[499] An analysis by the Romanian news outlet G4 Media found that Georgescu mounted a "propaganda machine" using thousands of supposed "volunteers" to spread his campaign messaging, adding that those involved received pre-made materials on Telegram that could readily be posted as comments on TikTok and other platforms.

[501] On 27 November, two minor candidates, Sebastian Constantin Popescu and Cristian Terheș submitted requests to the Constitutional Court of Romania to annul the results of the first round of the election.

[502] On 28 November, the court ruled unanimously to recount all ballots cast in the first round,[503] with a decision on whether to annul the results expected on 2 December.

[497] In their appeals, Terheș accused the USR of violating election law by campaigning among diaspora voters on polling day and alleged that votes cast for Ludovic Orban had been transferred to Elena Lasconi.

[504] Additionally, the Supreme Council of National Defence convened and called for an investigation into alleged attacks on the electoral infrastructure and suspicions of illegal campaigning by Călin Georgescu.

[505] Georgescu denied the accusations against him, while Lasconi criticised the recount and called on the Central Election Bureau to handle the process "wisely".

The Romanian Service of Information also declared that Georgescu said he had a "Zero lei electoral campaign budget", but subsequent investigations revealed an undeclared donation of up to €1,000,000 from third parties.

[511] Russian state interference in the election was widely reported, including state-sponsored cyberattacks, and the annulment was described as "an extraordinary step" by The Washington Post.

[16][17][18] The annulment also forced a halt to advanced voting in 951 overseas polling stations for the diaspora that had opened on 6 December, after approximately 50,000 Romanians had cast ballots.

Former liberal leader Crin Antonescu said: "It is not just about [Georgescu] or his statements but about a broader theme — society’s trust in the fairness and reliability of the democratic system, particularly elections.

[523] At the 2025 Munich Security Conference US Vice President JD Vance criticised the annulment, stating that "If your democracy can be destroyed with a few $100,000 of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn't very strong to begin with".