site.btaRomanian Candidate Silviu Predoiu Votes for Change, Saying "It's Too Late for Reform"

Romanian presidential candidate Silviu Predoiu, the oldest contender in the race at 66, cast his vote in Bucharest, declaring that he was voting "for change, not reform," because in his view, "it is already too late for reform." Representing the National Action League, Predoiu, a retired four-star general and former top official in Romania's Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE), said he was voting for a Romania that is respected and recognized, not one that begs for international favours, but earns them through merit.

He described the election as likely to be "highly emotional," although he personally would have preferred one in which reason and logic prevailed. Predoiu dismissed the likelihood of another annulment of the vote, noting that no one seems to be held accountable for the cancellation of last year's presidential elections. 

On the question of foreign influence, Predoiu said that "no external power can harm us more than we can harm ourselves."

A repeat candidate from the annulled 2024 election, Predoiu has laid out a presidential vision focused on unity, transparency and the defence of national interests. He retired from the SIE in 2018 due to age limits, after serving as the agency's deputy director for over a decade.