A few weeks ago, it looked like the far-right ultranationalist George Simion was going to cruise to an easy win. But then Donald Trump jumped into the fray, threatening Europe with 10% tariffs and a 25% tariff on automobiles, a sector important to Romania’s economy. Siminion has also worn a MAGA ball cap and done interviews with far-right American journalists and podcasters, acts which did not endear him to voters. Siminion also didn’t help himself by calling the soft-spoken Dan “autistic.” The leader of the extremist AUR party said, instead, that he meant to call Dan a “Nazi,” a “Marxist,” a “Sorosist,” or a “securist,” the latter implying that his opponent has connections with the Romanian information and security services. It was not a great start to an election race.
Source: The Guardian
The centrist mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, is set to win Romania’s pivotal presidential election with 99% of votes counted, according to official figures showing the pro-EU independent eight points clear of his far-right rival, George Simion.
The figures from Romania’s central election authority showed Dan, who had cast the second round vote as a battle between “a pro-western and an anti-western Romania”, on 54.2%, while Simion, a self-professed Trump admirer, had 45.8%.
The capital’s two-term mayor, who made his name fighting corrupt property developers, said voters seeking “profound change, functioning state institutions, less corruption, a prosperous economy and a society of dialogue, not hate, have won”.
Just two weeks ago, Siminion had received almost twice as many votes as Dan with a full slate of other candidates in the first round, but in the head-to-head run-off a higher turnout from younger voters and Romanians living abroad propelled Dan to a comfortable win.
Simion won the 4 May first round, triggering the collapse of Romania’s government of centre-left Social Democrats and centre-right Liberals (PNL). The new president will nominate the next prime minister and influence the formation of a new coalition.
The former soccer ultra and ultranationalist agitator, who sees his far-right AUR party as a “natural ally” of the US Maga movement, scored almost double his rival’s total, but polls in recent days had shown the gap between the two narrowing.
The election was called because the previous Romanian election in 2024 was annulled due to significant foreign interference [Russia], including millions in illegal campaign contributions. Unsurprisingly, the loudest foreign protests came from Russis, but also Victor Orban in Hungary and JD Vance in the United States.
Nice hat.
Oh well.
Continuing a recent pattern of failure for the far-right.
Chad’s loss is Romania’s gain.
A popular win, as Romanians took to the streets in celebration.
