Romanians cast ballots in tense presidential runoff that pits nationalist against pro-EU centrist

Romanians vote in high-stakes presidential runoff between hard-right nationalist and pro-Western centrist, shaping EU and NATO direction.

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 could determine the geopolitical direction of the European Union and NATO member country.

Sunday's race pits front-runner George Simion, the 38-year-old leader 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 previous election plunged Romania into its worst political crisis in decades.

Polls opened at 7 a.m, local time and will close at 9 p.m. Romanians abroad have been able to vote since Friday at polling stations set up in other countries, and more than 730,000 have already cast ballots.

Romania's political landscape was upended last year when a top court voided the previous 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 growing anger toward Romania's political establishment have fueled a surge in support for anti-establishment and hard-right figures, reflecting a broader pattern across Europe. Both Mr. Simion and Mr. Dan have made their political careers railing against Romania's old political class.

Also read | Hard-right candidate Simion secures decisive win in first round of Romania’s presidential redo

Most recent local surveys indicate the runoff will be tight, after earlier ones showed Mr. Simion holding a lead over Mr. Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician who rose to prominence as a civic activist fighting against illegal real estate projects.