The candidate of the far-right Alliance for the Unification of Romanians, George Simion, has won the first round of Romania’s repeat presidential election, the country’s electoral commission has said.
Simion won 40.5 % of the vote. His rival for the presidency in the second round will be Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, who got 20.99 %. The candidate of the ruling coalition, Crin Antonescu, came third with 20.07 %. A total of 11 candidates took part in the election. A second round will be held on 18 May.
A total of 11 candidates took part in the election. A second round will be held on 18 May.
‘This is not just an electoral victory, it is a victory of Romanian dignity. It is the victory of those who have not lost hope, of those who still believe in Romania, a free, respected, sovereign country,’ Simion said.
The Guardian notes that Simion supports another far-right politician, Calin Georgescu, who won the November 2024 election, the results of which were cancelled. Simion and Georgescu went to the polls together on 4 May. Simion has said that if he wins the election he could ‘return’ Georgescu to power, but he did not specify which post.
Simion describes himself as a supporter of US President Donald Trump. BBC News notes that one of Simion’s key campaign points was public dissatisfaction with Romania’s financial support for Ukrainian refugees. He denies that he is pro-Russian. Simion has notably called Russian President Vladimir Putin a ‘war criminal.’
