Romanians are casting ballots on Sunday (May 18, 2025) in a tense presidential runoff between a hard-right nationalist and a pro-Western centrist in a high-stakes election rerun that might decide the geopolitical route of the European Union and NATO member nation.
Sunday’s race pits front-runner George Simion, the 38-year-old chief of the hard-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, against incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan. It comes months after the cancelation of the earlier election plunged Romania into its worst political disaster in a long time.
Polls opened at 7 a.m, native time and can shut at 9 p.m. Romanians overseas have been in a position to vote since Friday at polling stations arrange in different international locations, and greater than 730,000 have already cast ballots.
Romania’s political panorama was upended final yr when a prime courtroom voided the earlier election after far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped first-round polls, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow denied.
Years of endemic corruption and rising anger towards Romania’s political institution have fueled a surge in assist for anti-establishment and hard-right figures, reflecting a broader sample throughout Europe. Both Mr. Simion and Mr. Dan have made their political careers railing against Romania’s previous political class.
Also learn | Hard-right candidate Simion secures decisive win in first spherical of Romania’s presidential redo
Most latest native surveys point out the runoff will likely be tight, after earlier ones confirmed Mr. Simion holding a lead over Mr. Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician who rose to prominence as a civic activist combating against unlawful actual property initiatives.
Turnout is usually increased in the ultimate spherical of Romanian presidential elections, and is anticipated to play a decisive position in the end result on Sunday. In the primary spherical on May 4, ultimate turnout stood at 9.5 million, or 53% of eligible voters, in keeping with official electoral information.
Mr. Dan based the reformist Save Romania Union occasion in 2016 however later left, and is operating independently on a pro-EU ticket reaffirming Western ties, assist for Ukraine and financial reform.
The presidential position carries a five-year time period and vital decision-making powers in nationwide safety and overseas coverage. The winner of Sunday’s race will likely be charged with nominating a brand new prime minister after Marcel Ciolacu stepped down following the failure of his coalition’s candidate to advance to the runoff.
After coming fourth in final yr’s canceled race, Mr. Simion backed Mr. Georgescu who was banned in March from standing in the redo. Mr. Simion then surged to front-runner in the May 4 first spherical after turning into the standard-bearer for the onerous proper.
Mr. Simion, additionally a former activist who campaigned for reunification with neighbouring Moldova, says he would give attention to reforms: slashing purple tape, decreasing forms and taxes. But he insists that his principal aim is to revive democracy. “My platform is to return to democracy, to the will of the people,” he mentioned.
The AUR occasion he leads says it stands for “family, nation, faith, and freedom” and rose to prominence in a 2020 parliamentary election. It has since grown to develop into the second-largest occasion in the Romanian legislature.
To his critics, Mr. Simion is a pro-Russian extremist who threatens Romania’s longstanding alliances in the EU and NATO. But in an Associated Press interview, he rejected the accusations, saying Russia is his nation’s greatest menace and that he desires Romania to be handled as “equal partners” in Brussels.
“I don’t think he is a pro-Russian candidate, I also don’t think that he’s an anti-Russian candidate,” mentioned Claudiu Tufis, an affiliate professor of political science on the University of Bucharest. “I think what is driving him is … his focus on what I call identity politics.”
In the first-round vote, Mr. Simion received an enormous 61% of Romania’s massive diaspora vote, along with his calls to patriotism resonating with Romanians who moved overseas in search of higher alternatives.
Hours after voting opened Friday, Mr. Simion accused the Moldovan authorities of election fraud, claims that have been shortly rejected by Moldovan and Romanian authorities. “These statements are intended to sow distrust and hostility, with the aim of influencing the election process,” Romania’s Foreign Ministry mentioned in an announcement.
Published – May 18, 2025 10:25 am IST
