Romania: Eurosceptic Simion wins presidential election

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 only 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. "Together, we have made history; we are approaching an excellent result," Simion said in a televised address.

Today's vote was a repeat election. Romania's Supreme Court annulled the November 2024 election due to illegal Russian interference and ordered a repeat. In the first round of the presidential election in November, the far-right, pro-Russian 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 followed in Georgescu's footsteps and was already considered the favorite in the run-up to the election. The extreme right-wing politician opposes military aid to neighboring Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia . Simion's stated goal is also to use his presidential power to support Georgescu if he wins the run-off election. He has not ruled out helping him secure the office of prime minister.

In Romania, a member of the European Union and NATO, the President determines the guidelines of foreign and security policy.