There was an unexpected turnaround in Romania: the pro-European candidate Nicușor Dan (independent) was victorious in the 18 May presidential election with 53.60% of the vote. George Simion (Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, far right), who was widely tipped as the favourite after the first round, came second with 46.40% of the vote.
The turnout – 64.72% compared with 53.21% in the first round – seems to indicate that the pro-European voters who abstained on 4 May finally rallied against the prospect of having a nationalist admirer of Donald Trump and Javier Milei as their head of state. This dramatic election was also marked by foreign interference efforts, according to several Romanian ministries.
Nicușor Dan’s victory brings to a close an election season full of twists and turns, which began in November 2024 with the first-round triumph of far-right candidate Călin Georgescu, before the ballot was cancelled due to suspicions of foreign interference and fraud. Georgescu was subsequently banned from participating in the follow-up, leaving Simion as the second choice for the sovereignist vote.
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