George Simion (AOR) and Nicușor Dan (independent candidate) will face each other in the second round of the presidential elections in Romania, the Central Election Commission announced after more than 99% of the votes had been counted.

The campaign for the second round of voting will begin on May 9. The runoff will take place on May 18.

Results from the final vote count:

George Simion (Alliance for the Unity of Romanians) – 40.96%;

Nicușor Dan (independent candidate) – 20.99%;

Crin Antonescu (Social Democratic Party, National Liberal Party, and Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania) – 20.07%;

Viktor Ponta (independent candidate) – 13.05%;

Elena Lasconi (Union for the Salvation of Romania) – 2.68%.

The remaining candidates received less than 1% of the vote.

No later than midnight on May 6, requests for the annulment of the elections on the grounds of electoral fraud may be submitted. They may be submitted by political parties, political or electoral coalitions, organizations of citizens belonging to national minorities, and candidates who participated in the elections. The request, duly substantiated and accompanied by supporting evidence, shall be addressed to the Constitutional Court.

A total of 18,979 polling stations were opened across the country. Romanians with voting rights from the diaspora voted in 965 polling stations. Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. local (and Bulgarian) time and closed at 9:00 p.m.

Simion voted at a polling station in Mogoșoaia, accompanied by the party's former presidential candidate, Călin Georgescu.

Romania's first attempt at presidential elections last November was dramatically annulled due to allegations of fraud and Russian interference, which helped far-right candidate Calin Georgescu emerge as a surprise winner.

Georgescu was barred from running this time around, but George Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), has taken his place.

Romania's equivalent of Trump and MAGA

The campaign of George Simion, who is a fan of US President Donald Trump, was based on his promise to put Romania first. He expressed hope that he would turn last year's "stolen" election into a victory by winning the repeat vote on Sunday, May 4.

Sămiion described the Constitutional Court's decision to annul the vote as a "coup d'état," saying that democracy had been trampled on. If he becomes president, his first step will be to "declassify" the confidential minutes of the meetings that led to the decision.

After finishing fourth in the November election, Simion refused to participate in televised debates in the final week of the campaign "out of respect for the will of the people," saying that Georgescu should have been at the table.

The far right does not currently have a parliamentary majority, but Simion said Georgescu's appointment as prime minister "is one of the possibilities."

Pro-EU mayor of Bucharest

Nicușor Dăncilă is campaigning on promises of "change" and "honesty" in Romania after the "shocking" election cancellation.

Running as an independent, the 55-year-old mathematician, who was re-elected for a second term as mayor in 2024, has denounced the "corrupt" and "arrogant" political class that has been in power since the end of communism nearly four decades ago.

Saying that NATO was the country's "best shield," he expressed support for Ukraine in its fight against "hostile" Russia and promised to strengthen "Romania's strategic ties with the US."

Known for his careful choice of words, the reformer and former activist promised not to make "populist promises" that are never kept. | BGNES