Romanian presidential race: Simion and Dan set for showdown
George Simion and Nicușor Dan will face each other in the second round of the presidential elections in Romania. Simion, the leader of AUR, received 40.96% of the votes, while Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, got 20.99%. The results surprised many, as exit polls had indicated a lead for Crin Antonescu.
What do you need to know?
- Who advanced to the second round? In the second round of the presidential elections in Romania, George Simion, leader of the radical right-wing AUR party, and Nicușor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, will compete.
- What were the voting results? Simion secured 40.96% of the votes, and Dan 20.99%. Crin Antonescu came third with 20.07%.
- When will the second round take place? The second round of the presidential elections is scheduled for 18 May.
What are the candidates' reactions?
All votes cast in the country and votes from 99.9% of polling stations abroad have already been counted, according to the website of the Permanent Electoral Authority, which regularly publishes data on the results.
George Simion, the leader of AUR, expressed determination to carry out a "moral, political, and economic rebuilding of Romania." His campaign was supported by Călin Georgescu and focused on opposing the annulment of the November elections.
Nicușor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, emphasised that the second round would be a clash between a pro-Western and an anti-Western candidate.
What were the voting results abroad?
Votes cast by the Romanian diaspora also had a significant impact on the results. Simion gained over 60% support among voters abroad, while Dan received 25%. In total, about a million voters participated from abroad.
What do the exit poll results say?
Exit poll results on Sunday evening suggested that Crin Antonescu might have taken second place, but the final results showed Dan's lead.
Interestingly, Simion garnered significantly more votes (approximately 3.8 million) than the winner of the first round of the annulled November elections – the far-right Călin Georgescu (over 2.1 million votes). On 4 May, nearly 2 million voters cast their votes for Dan, according to electoral authority data.
Controversies surrounding the Romanian presidential elections
In December 2024, the Constitutional Court of Romania decided to annul the results of the first round of presidential elections at its meeting. The basis for the annulment of the elections was disclosed intelligence documents indicating manipulative activities that influenced the campaign of candidate Călin Georgescu.
Georgescu, a pro-Russian presidential candidate in Romania, sparked considerable controversy both due to his views and the campaign conducted mainly on the TikTok platform. Consequently, there were allegations of breaching EU election regulations.
