The new far-right candidate in Romania’s presidential race came first on on Sunday’s new vote, confirming a nationalistic shift in the country following the shocking annulment of the first round.
George Simion, an admirer of Donald Trump who envisions himself as a MAGA president, has secured about 40% of the votes. He is closely followed by two pro-European candidates, each garnering around 20% of the votes.
"We have written a page of history today," Simion stated in a video message at his party’s headquarters, where delighted supporters chanted: "Out with the thieves, long live the patriots."
Simion faces the challenge of maintaining his lead in the second round on 18 May, a difficult task as he reportedly has fewer potential votes to draw on compared to his rival, according to political science professor Sergiu Miscoiu, predicting a tight race.
Experts also highlight divisions within the anti-sovereignty bloc after a campaign marked by fierce accusations and underhand tactics.
Eleven candidates in total competed for the largely ceremonial but influential foreign policy role in this EU member country, home to 19 million people and a key NATO ally since Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
The surprising lead of Calin Georgescu, a former senior official accused of pro-Kremlin sympathies, last November caused alarm in Western Europe and turmoil in Romania.
The Constitutional Court annulled the previous election and barred the sixty-something Georgescu from this election, following a major TikTok campaign plagued by allegations of Russian interference.
He was replaced by 38-year-old Simion, who placed fourth in the autumn election, and the pair were seen together at a polling station in Mogosoaia near Bucharest on Sunday.
While the leader of the AUR party denies any pro-Russian tendencies, he shares a disdain for Brussels bureaucrats and opposes military aid to Kyiv.
