[Romanian Presidential Election: Who Will Face Off in the Second Round]
In the Romanian presidential election, far-right candidate George Simion leads with the highest number of votes. Former Bucharest Mayor Nicolae-Daniel Dan ranks second, and both will advance to the second round of voting.
According to data from the Central Electoral Commission of Romania, 99.99% of the vote-counting for the presidential election has been completed. Far-right party "Alliance of the Union of Romania" (AUR) candidate Simion's vote share (40.94%) is double that of independent candidate Dan (20.99%) and "National Liberal Party" (PSD-PNL-UDMR) candidate Crin Antonescu (20.09%). However, Dan's vote count slightly surpasses that of former acting president Antonescu.
The vote shares of other candidates are as follows:
-- Victor Ponta: 13.06%
-- Elena Lasconii: 2.68%
As no candidate received more than half the votes, the second round of voting is scheduled for May 18th, two weeks later. At that time, far-right politician Simion will face off against the former mayor known for his anti-corruption efforts, Dan. Antonescu has acknowledged defeat in the first round but has not recommended a candidate for the second round to his supporters.
This election is Romania's second attempt within months to select a president. In the first round of the November 24, 2024 election, pro-Russian far-right candidate Kelyn Georgescu unexpectedly led but was disqualified due to violations found by the Constitutional Court (including illegal advertising, TikTok manipulation, and Russian hybrid interference). Georgescu was arrested at the end of February 2025 and barred from participating in the initial round of the re-election. Simion declared on May 4th that if elected, he would appoint Georgescu to a key position.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831249560334528/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's viewpoint.