Romanians Gear Up for Presidential Run-Off

George Simion and Nicusor Dan now go head to head after securing first and second place in the first round of voting on May 4.

A woman rides a scooter near electoral posters ahead of Romania's presidential elections, in Bucharest, Romania, on April 29, 2025. Andreea Campeanu/Reuters

Romanians head back to the voting booths this weekend for the second round run-off election to select a new president.

Nationalist George Simion and centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan were neck and neck in the polls ahead of the May 18 vote.

A survey conducted by AtlasIntel and commissioned by Romanian website HotNews.ro showed both Simion and Dan on 48.2 percent of the vote after asking 3,995 people between May 9 to May 12.

The poll has a margin of error of 2 percent, and the sample included no one from the Romanian diaspora, which accounted for around 1 million votes in the first round and skewed toward Simion by more than 60 percent.

Who Are the Candidates?

George Simion

George Simion, the leader of Romania's most popular far-right party, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), in Bucharest, Romania, on March 14, 2025. Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo

Eurosceptic Simion emphatically won the first round on May 4, gaining 41 percent of the vote.

The 38-year-old opposes military aid to neighboring Ukraine, is critical of the European Union leadership, and says he is aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement.

He has suggested he would veto EU military aid to Ukraine, while saying Europe should depend on NATO for its own defense.

He says his success proves that voters are ready for change and that that is what he represents.

“I am a person who was never in government, and was never partners with those who made this ... coup d’etat against the will of the people,” he told The Associated Press after the first round.

Simion, who came fourth in last year’s race and later backed Georgescu, called the former candidate the “rightful president” and said that at some point, Georgescu “must be in power in some form or another.”

“If he asks to be prime minister, I will nominate him,” he said. ”Because he was the one voted by the Romanians.”

Nicusor Dan

Presidential independent centrist candidate and Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan answers questions during an interview with Reuters, in Bucharest, Romania, on April 23, 2025. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via Reuters

Dan, 55, running as an independent on an anti-corruption platform, won 21 percent of the vote in the first round.

He is the two-term mayor of the capital city of Bucharest.

The French-educated mathematician is running as an independent centrist on an “Honest Romania” ticket.

He first turned to activism to protect heritage buildings in the capital, Bucharest, before entering politics full time.

Dan’s campaign centers on tackling corruption, eliminating red tape, and merit-based reform of public administration.

He is also very pro-EU and NATO, supporting the increase of defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2030 and continued support of Ukraine.

In a televised debate on May 8, he fully backed EU plans to arm itself.

He has been criticized for his relationship with businessman Mihai Paun, a longtime collaborator who has in the past praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and done business in Belarus and Russia.

What Are the President’s Powers?

Romania’s president has a semi-executive role that includes commanding the armed forces and chairing the security council that decides on military aid.

The president can also veto important EU votes that require unanimity and appoints the prime minister, chief judges, prosecutors, and secret service heads.

There is an interim president until the run-off; however, the interim government cannot issue decrees or introduce policies.

Why Previous Vote Was Anulled

The election is taking place months later than was originally planned, after the previous vote was annulled by Bucharest’s supreme court.

That poll was held on Dec. 6, 2024, and resulted in conservative outsider candidate Calin Georgescu topping the polls, to the shock of Romania’s political establishment.

The court nixed the vote amid allegations of electoral violations and a Russian campaign promoting Georgescu, who is now under investigation and barred from running.

Moscow has denied meddling.

Since the first round, interim Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has resigned, saying his center-left Social Democrats would withdraw from the pro-Western coalition—effectively ending it—while cabinet ministers will stay on in an interim capacity until a new majority emerges after the run-off.