General elections were held in Romania on 3 November 1996, with a second round of the presidential election on 17 November. Opinion polls prior to the elections suggested incumbent President Ion Iliescu of the Social Democracy Party of Romania (PDSR, formerly the Democratic National Salvation Front) would win a third term, though it was believed a large field of candidates would push him into a runoff. Iliescu received the most votes in the first round, just ahead of his 1992 runoff opponent, Emil Constantinescu of the Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR). In the second round, Constantinescu defeated Iliescu with 54 percent of the vote. Iliescu conceded defeat soon after the polls closed. Constantinescu took office on 29 November, marking the first peaceful transfer of power since the fall