Romanians turned out in large numbers on Sunday for a decisive presidential run-off, choosing between AUR party leader George Simion and Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time and were set to close at 9 p.m., with voter turnout reaching over 62% by 8 p.m., just one hour before the polls closed. An estimated 11.2 million Romanians had cast their ballots by that time.
Simion emerged as the clear front-runner in the first round on May 4, securing nearly 41% of the vote. Dan, the founder of the Save Romania Union (USR) party, came in second with 21%. Simion’s AUR party champions a platform of “family, nation, faith, and freedom,” while Dan’s campaign is built around a pro-EU “Honest Romania” message. Despite their ideological differences, both candidates emphasize their status as political outsiders, positioning themselves as alternatives to the traditional establishment.
Romania’s presidency, limited to two five-year terms, carries significant powers, including oversight of the country’s defense council and foreign policy. The newly elected president will also face the critical task of nominating a prime minister capable of securing a parliamentary majority to address Romania’s substantial budget deficit – currently the largest in the European Union.
The Romanian vote took place on the same day as the first round of the presidential election in Poland. Turnout in Poland’s presidential election at 17:00 local time, four hours before polling stations closed, was 50.69% – almost three percentage points higher than at the same time during the first round of the previous election in 2020.
UPDATE 23:54
Nicușor Dan has the lead in Romania’ presidential election after 98.34% of the votes were counted. He has 54.22% of the vote while George Simion has 45.78%. Over in Poland, Warsaw’s liberal Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski has narrowly won the first round of the presidential election, according to an exit poll on Polish TV. Both elections are being closely watched across Europe.
UPDATE 19/05/2025 12:14
Nicușor Dan won 53.60% percent of the votes, the electoral authority reported on Monday, to beat George Simion, who was on 46.40%. When voting closed at 9 p.m. local time, official electoral data showed a 64% voter turnout. About 1.64 million Romanians abroad at specially set-up polling stations participated in the vote, some 660,000 more than in the first round. In the first round on May 4, the final turnout stood at 53% of eligible voters.