The nationalist candidate George Simion remains in the lead in the first round of the presidential election of Romania with around 40% of the votes, according to the preliminary results on Sunday.
With 82%of the votes counted, the race for second place – which will bring the runoff to compete against Simion in two weeks – between two candidates of the Pro -West coalition, crin Antonescu (21%) and the unucșor Dan independent (18%), remains too close for the call.
In addition, some parts of the Romanian diaspora have shown strong support for Sion: 77% of Romanians voted in Italy and 80% of people in Spain supported the AUR party leader on Sunday, according to preliminary results.
Pre-electoral polls all stressed Simion as the winner of the first round. However, the score of independent candidate Dan, the mayor of Bucharest and a foreigner, surprised and sent a clear message to the government coalition, which met to appoint Crin Antonescu as candidate of the main party.
Romania faces a difficult battle for the second round in two weeks, having to choose between an internal nationalist candidate and a pro-nato.
Most party leaders and candidates have announced that they would wait for the final results. However, Simion has already declared a “victory for the dignity of Romania” and called for vigilance to count the votes to prevent fraud.
He separated from the traditional appearance on stage next to other party leaders and supporters, opting for a Georgescu style declaration alone at an office.
“Today, the Romanian people voted, the Romanian people spoke. It is a victory for Romanian dignity, the victory of those who have not lost hope, of those who still believe in Romania, in a free sovereign country, respected”, “said Simion on Sunday evening.
Simion survived an anti-establishment wave, fueled by ultra-nationalists Calin Georgescu, the former presidential candidate whose victory in the elections canceled in December 2024 launched Romania in unprecedented fuss.
Meanwhile, Dan urged the supporters to wait for the official count and the voting of the diaspora, while Antonescu thanked its voters and insisted to wait for the official count.
Judging by the exit polls, the Romanians have chosen to vote for individuals, not political parties, indicating the failure of the Big Tent Coalition – which included the PSD of the center -left, the Liberal PNL party and the Hungarian minority party UDMR / RMDSZ – to inspire its voters.
According to the sources of Euronews Romania, the Liberals accused the PSD of not mobilizing their voters across the country, especially in rural areas, to throw their weight behind the Coalition candidate, Antonescu.
However, exit surveys in Romania have not been reliable in the past, and the official results could paint a different image, especially due to the vote of the diaspora, which has the power to turn the trend.
On Sunday, some 53% of Romanians went to the polls on Sunday, which indicates a higher mobilization than during the vote canceled in December.
For more updates, follow the coverage live from Euronews Romania on www.euronews.ro.
