Pro-European Nicusor Dan wins Romanian Presidency, defeats far-right rival

Romania opted for Europe on Sunday: In the run-off election for the presidency, the pro-European Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan won with almost 54 percent of the vote. His ultra-right rival George Simion, who was the favorite going into the run-off of the repeat presidential election and secured around 46 percent of the vote, conceded defeat after almost all the votes had been counted on Monday night. Dan's election victory was welcomed in Europe.

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“It is the victory of thousands and thousands of people who believe that Romania can develop in the right direction,” Dan told his supporters, who chanted ‘Europe’ and “Russia, Russia, Romania is not yours”. Although post-election polls had already shown a clear lead for Dan, both candidates initially claimed victory immediately after the election.

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At the pro-European Dan's headquarters in a park in Bucharest, the 55-year-old announced “the victory of a community of Romanians longing for profound change”. “Let's enjoy this evening and start rebuilding Romania tomorrow,” he said. At the same time, Simion declared himself the “new president of Romania” in front of parliament and denounced electoral fraud. “We are the clear winners of this election and declare our victory on behalf of the Romanian people,” said the supporter of US President Donald Trump in front of a cheering crowd.

Simion, the leader of the far-right AUR party, had won almost 41 percent of the vote in the first round of the repeat presidential election, with Dan taking around 21 percent, but the 38-year-old conceded defeat on Monday night. “I would like to congratulate my opponent, Nicusor Dan,” said Simion in a video published on the online network Facebook. “He won the election and that was the will of the Romanian people.”

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At the same time, he announced that he would “continue our fight” for Romania and put the country's 19 million inhabitants “first”. During the election campaign, the AUR leader had criticized the EU's “absurd policy” and called for cuts in military aid to Ukraine. EU Commission President von der Leyen congratulated the pro-European Dan on his election victory on Sunday. The people of Romania “went to the polls in large numbers”, she explained in the online service X. They had “opted for the promise of an open and prosperous Romania in a strong Europe”.

French President Emmanuel Macron also welcomed the Romanians' decision “for democracy, the rule of law and the European Union - despite many attempts at manipulation”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky also congratulated Dan and emphasized the importance of Romania as a reliable partner. At 65 percent, voter turnout in the run-off was higher than in the first round two weeks ago, when it had been 53 percent. Romanian political scientist Sergiu Miscoiu described the high turnout as “almost unprecedented and characterized by an upsurge of democracy supporters”. “Never before has an election been so decisive, with such obvious geopolitical implications,” he told the AFP news agency.

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The outcome of the election was of great importance for the future of EU and NATO member Romania, which borders Ukraine, and for relations within Europe. The Romanian president has the power to fill important posts and attend EU and NATO summits. Romania has been in a political crisis for months. In November, the previously largely unknown right-wing radical Calin Georgescu surprisingly won the first round of the presidential election.

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However, the Constitutional Court declared the ballot invalid due to suspicions of election interference by Russia, and Georgescu was excluded from the repeat election. Simion stood in his place as the candidate of the right-wing camp. According to the Foreign Ministry, it again uncovered a disinformation campaign in the run-off election that showed “evidence of interference by Russia”.

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The founder of the messaging service Telegram, Pavel Durov, had previously stated that France had interfered in the election and asked Telegram to “silence conservative voices in Romania ahead of today's presidential elections”. The French Foreign Ministry denied the allegations. The atmosphere during the election campaign was tense. The previous Prime Minister and Social Democrat Marcel Ciolacu had surprisingly submitted his resignation on Monday. The new president has the power to appoint the new head of government.