Romanians to vote between nationalist Simon and pro-EU Dan in tight presidential election rerun

Romania is gearing up for a rerun of its presidential elections after the top court annulled the November 2024 elections over fraud and scandal. Romanians will be seeing the competition between George Simon, a pro-Trump nationalist, and Nicusor Dan, a pro-EU centrist.

While far-right, pro-Russian independent candidate Călin Georgescu was barred from running amid accusations of vote manipulation, campaign irregularities, receiving funding from non-transparent sources, and alleged Russian interference, claims that Moscow has denied.The outcome could reshape the future of this pro-Brussels country, which shares a border with war-torn Ukraine.It is pertinent to mention that if George Simion wins the rerun, he would become Romania’s first far-right president.Simion emerged as the frontrunner in the first round of Romania’s presidential election on May 4, securing nearly 41 per cent of the vote.

Who are the presidential candidates?

George Simion:George Simion, 38, is a former football hooligan and outspoken admirer of US President Donald Trump. He is campaigning on a nationalist platform with the slogan “Romania First.”Since co-founding the nationalist AUR party six years ago, Simion has emerged as the face of Romania’s growing far-right movement, working to soften his controversial image during his presidential campaign.

An outspoken opponent of LGBTQ rights, Simion has also pushed for a constitutional amendment to define marriage strictly as a union between a man and a woman.Simion attended Trump’s presidential inauguration on 20 January. He also wears a cap with the US president’s slogan, “Make America Great Again.” He has openly expressed his ambition to become Romania’s own “MAGA president.”He has vowed to reestablish ties with the United States, if elected.Simion has expressed his desire to form an alliance of like-minded EU countries, following the example of his role models, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose policies he aims to inculcate.Born in Focșani in eastern Romania, near the border with Moldova, he has previously campaigned for the reintegration of Moldova into Romania.He is banned from entering Ukraine and Moldova after calling for parts of their territories to be returned to Romania. While he has condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "war criminal" and expressed support for Nato, Simion criticizes the EU’s policies and opposes sending military aid to Ukraine. He has also demanded "compensation" for the support Romania has provided so far.Nicusor Dan:Nicusor Dan, 55, a former math prodigy, campaigns on a promise to "rebuild" Romania. As one of the EU’s poorest members with significant wealth inequality, the country has been governed by the same group of politicians since the fall of Communism in 1989.He has repeatedly encouraged people to vote, after turnout reached just 53 per cent in the first round poll. As an independent candidate, Dan has expressed strong support for Ukraine and promised to keep Romania on a "pro-Western" path. He has urged voters to reject Simion’s "isolationist" policies.Born and raised in Brașov County, Transylvania, central Romania, Dan won several international math competitions as a teenager before studying mathematics at the University of Bucharest.After running for Bucharest mayor several times, Dan was finally elected in 2020 and won re-election for a second term in 2024.After leaving the Save Romania Union (USR), the party he founded, he ran as an independent, stating that the party should focus on fighting corruption rather than on civil liberties, including LGBTQ rights.

Results awaited:

Polls open at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) and close at 9:00 pm, with exit polls released shortly afterward and official results expected later in the evening."Romanians should go to the polls with confidence; this time, their will and their vote will not be stolen," Simion declared on a private TV channel this week, despite repeatedly alleging a risk of "massive fraud".Daniela Plesa, 62, a public employee, said she wanted a president "to promote the interests of the country", complaining that "the European Union demands and demands", as reported by AFP.

Political crisis raise stakes in Romania:

Last week's unexpected resignation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the collapse of his pro-European coalition—following their candidate’s failure to reach the runoff—have raised the stakes and intensified political tensions.The new president will have the power to appoint a new prime minister, and Simion's nationalist AUR party could join the government after negotiations to form a new parliamentary majority.Beyond deepening societal divisions, the election turmoil has heightened economic uncertainty in the EU’s most indebted country, which continues to struggle with high inflation.