Romania holds runoff vote in presidential election rerun

Romanian voters returned to the polls on Sunday, May 18 for the second round of a presidential election rerun following a court-annulled vote last year. The runoff is between George Simion, a critic of Brussels who has been banned from entering Ukraine, and Nicusor Dan, the pro-EU mayor of the capital, Bucharest.

Around 19,000 polling stations have opened across Romania for the second round of the election. Voting began at 7am local time (4am GMT) and is scheduled to end at 9pm, with exit polls expected soon after.

George Simion, the leader of the right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), came in first in the initial round earlier this month with 40.96% of the vote – nearly 20 percentage points ahead of Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, who came in second. Recent polls, however, show a tighter race, with one reporting a tie and another giving Dan a narrow lead.

Dan, who is running as an independent, is a Sorbonne-educated mathematician who entered politics after years of activism. He has pledged to fight corruption, reduce economic inequality, and maintain strong ties with the EU and NATO. He also claims that Romania’s support for Ukraine is vital to national security.

Simion opposes EU bureaucracy and Brussels-mandated policies, which he has described as part of a “greedy and corrupt bubble.” He supports what he calls a “Europe of sovereign nations” and has positioned himself as a defender of “traditional values,” in contrast to “globalist ideologies.” He has denied being anti-European, describing his alliance as “Eurorealist, not Euroskeptic,” according to Politico.

Although Simion has insisted he is not pro-Russian, he opposes sending weapons to Ukraine and has called for a negotiated settlement to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. He has also praised US President Donald Trump, calling him “a symbol of freedom,” and has said he would reverse what he describes as an “anti-American shift in Europe.”

The election follows the annulment of the previous vote, in which independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu led in the first round with 23% of the vote. Romania’s Constitutional Court overturned the results, citing electoral irregularities and allegations of foreign interference, including campaign activity on TikTok and suspected Russian “hybrid” influence. Moscow has denied having any involvement.

Georgescu was later barred from running again by the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), which cited his alleged “anti-democratic” and “extremist” positions and procedural violations. The court upheld the BEC’s decision.

Simion has publicly supported Georgescu, arriving with him at a polling station on Sunday. He previously said he might appoint him prime minister if elected.

On the eve of the vote, Simion claimed that voter manipulation was taking place in Moldova, where many Romanian citizens are voting. He has also deactivated his TikTok and Facebook accounts, citing compliance with the election silence rules.

After Simion’s strong showing in the first round, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu resigned and announced the Social Democratic Party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition, stating that the bloc no longer has political legitimacy. The PSD has said it will not support either candidate in the runoff.