The Prime Minister of Romania declared his readiness to leave his post.

Marcela Ciolaku has said he is ready to step down as Prime Minister of Romania if the Social Democratic Party (SDP) withdraws from the ruling coalition. This was announced on May 5 by the G4Media portal.

"If my colleagues vote to leave the coalition, then it is natural that I, the prime Minister of the coalition, will submit my resignation to the acting President of Romania today," he is quoted as saying in the publication.

It is clarified that Ciolaku made such a statement after the coalition's presidential candidate, Crin Antonescu, did not qualify for the second round of voting.

"Having seen the results of the vote in Romania and the fact that this coalition has not achieved its goals and therefore has no credibility after the vote in Romania, I will propose to my colleagues that the SDP withdraw from this coalition," he added.

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Earlier in the day, Antonescu admitted defeat in the first round. He also called on his compatriots to vote in the second round, which will be held on May 18, but did not say which of the rivals he preferred.

On May 4, it became known that the candidate and head of the opposition Alliance for the Unification of Romanians party, George Simion, was leading in the first round of the Romanian presidential election with 42.28% of the vote. According to the CEC, the second place was taken by the candidate from the ruling coalition, Crin Antonescu, with 22.53% of the vote. He is followed by Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan with 15.75%, and former Prime Minister Victor Ponta closes the top four with 14.75% of the vote.

On May 5, Simion announced that he would allow the appointment of former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu as prime minister.