"History made": Right-wing extremist Trump fan wins most votes in Romanian election

The result of last November's presidential election in Romania has been annulled. Six months later, the EU country is back in the polls. The far-right candidate Simion wins decisively, but must face the voters again.

In Romania, the far-right candidate George Simion won the first round of the presidential election by a wide margin, but fell short of an absolute majority. The decision on the future president will therefore be made in a runoff election on May 18. Simion is likely to face Crin Antonescu, who finished second in the first round and is supported by the conservative-social democratic governing coalition.

According to the Central Election Bureau, Simion received approximately 40 percent of the votes cast, while Antonescu received 21 percent. Independent Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan came in third with approximately 18 percent. Three-quarters of the polling stations have been counted so far. "We have made history together; we are approaching an excellent result," Simion said in a televised address.

In the first round of the presidential election in November 2024, the far-right pro-Kremlin Calin Georgescu surprisingly received the most votes. However, the Constitutional Court declared the result invalid due to campaign financing irregularities. The court also banned Georgescu from running for president again. The public prosecutor's office has been investigating him since the end of February.

Simion's stated goal is to ensure "justice" for Georgescu in the event of his election victory. He has not ruled out helping Georgescu become prime minister. Simion is also considered a fan of US President Donald Trump. In Romania, a member of the European Union and NATO, the president sets the guidelines for foreign and security policy.