Simion Leads With 40.96% in Romania Presidential Vote; Dan Advances, May 18 Runoff Amid Leu Plunge
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Romania is experiencing political and financial turmoil after the first round of its presidential election, in which far-right nationalist George Simion secured 40.96% of the vote. Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), will face pro-European Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan, who received 20.99%, in a runoff scheduled for May 18. Crin Antonescu, the candidate of the outgoing PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition government, finished third with 20.07% and did not advance.
Simion's victory has triggered a government crisis. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) resigned after the coalition's candidate was eliminated, and the PSD withdrew from the government, leading to the collapse of the PSD and National Liberal Party (PNL) coalition. The PNL has expressed support for Dan, but Antonescu and key PSD figures have not endorsed either candidate, urging voters to decide independently. The USR party, led by interim president Dominic Fritz, decided almost unanimously to support Dan in the runoff.
Simion campaigned on a sovereigntist, anti-EU, and anti-Ukraine platform, pledging to cut government bureaucracy by 500,000 jobs over five years, aiming to reduce the public sector to 800,000 positions, and to decrease taxes. He is seen as sympathetic to Russian interests, has called for ending Romanian military and financial support to Ukraine, and supports sanctions on Russia. Simion supports Romania's continued participation in NATO under U.S. leadership and received 60% of the diaspora vote. He has also indicated he would consider appointing Călin Georgescu, who was disqualified from the previous annulled election, as prime minister.
Nicușor Dan, running as an independent but backed by the reformist Union for the Salvation of Romania (USR), has received official support from USR for the second round. Dan is known for his anti-corruption stance and pro-European orientation. He won strong support among Romanian voters in Moldova, but faces challenges in consolidating support from the political establishment and voters dissatisfied with traditional parties.
The political uncertainty and Simion's strong performance have led to financial instability. The Romanian leu fell over 2% to a historic low, reaching 5.1 per euro, and the central bank reportedly spent 4% of its reserves in one day to stabilize the currency. Bond yields have risen above 8%, and the stock market has dropped more than 3%. Moody's has warned that Romania's credit rating could be downgraded to junk status if instability persists.
Cyberattacks linked to pro-Russian groups targeted Romanian government and campaign websites during the election. The previous November's election was annulled over concerns of Russian interference and social media manipulation, and Simion's campaign has been accused—without public evidence—of ties to Russian intelligence.
Analysts warn that a Simion victory could advance Kremlin objectives in the region by curtailing aid to Ukraine and challenging EU unity. Romania has played a key role in supporting Ukraine, including providing air defense systems and training. The outcome of the May 18 runoff will affect Romania's domestic policy, its relationship with the EU and NATO, and regional security.
Sunday's presidential election rerun in Romania will be a referendum on more than 30 years of missed opportunities since the 1989 revolution, writes @MarcChampion1 https://t.co/i1VVRFbLXa
