Romanians are voting in a presidential election rerun that could propel to power an ultranationalist who opposes military aid to Ukraine, has fiercely criticised the EU’s leadership and describes himself as a “natural ally” of Donald Trump.
George Simion, 38, is comfortably ahead in the opinion polls before the first-round vote in the EU and Nato member state, nearly six months after the original ballot was cancelled amid evidence of an alleged “massive” Russian influence campaign.
The election is being closely watched: a far-right victory could lead to Romania, which shares a border with Ukraine, veering from its pro-western path and becoming another disruptive force within the bloc and the transatlantic defence alliance.
After the election was cancelled, hard-right politicians worldwide, including senior Trump administration figures, accused Bucharest of trampling on free speech and ignoring “the voice of the people”. The US vice-president, JD Vance, accused Romania’s authorities of “cancelling elections because you don’t like the result”.
The original vote last November was won by Călin Georgescu, a far-right, anti-EU, Moscow-friendly independent who declared zero campaign spending but surged from less than 5% days before the vote to finish first on 23%.
The constitutional court annulled the vote after declassified intelligence documents revealed an alleged Russian influence operation, including multiple cyber-attacks on the electoral IT system and large-scale social media meddling in Georgescu’s favour.
In February, Georgescu, who denies any wrongdoing, was placed under investigation on counts including misreporting campaign finances, misuse of digital technology and promoting fascist groups, and in March he was barred from standing in the rerun.
Simion hopes to benefit from public anger at the cancellation and Georgescu’s disbarment. “It is clear a strong anti-western trend has been built up and Romania’s direction is at unprecedented risk,” said Cristian Pîrvulescu, a political scientist.
As in the original campaign, social media – especially TikTok – is playing a major part. Simion, whose posts combine nationalist rhetoric with an emotionally charged delivery and direct-to-camera speeches, has 1.3 million followers on the app.
“The time for rebirth has come,” he said in a video posted on Tuesday. “Our nation will find its way again … We have within us the power to be reborn and to move forward, more united and stronger.”
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The far-right candidate, whose party, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), began as an anti-vaxx movement during the pandemic, aims to bring Georgescu into government if he wins, though the far right does not have a parliamentary majority.
Describing himself as “more moderate” than Georgescu, Simion has repeatedly insisted on Romania’s “sovereignty”. He has called for territories that were part of Romania but were ceded to the USSR in the second world war and are now part of Moldova and Ukraine to be returned to Romania. Simion is banned from entering both Moldova and Ukraine.
In contrast to Georgescu, however, Simion has frequently denounced Russia, while lashing out at Brussels and praising Trump’s Republicans in the US. He has said he aims to set up an alliance of countries within the EU “in the spirit of Maga”.
On about 30% in the polls, Simion is about 10 points clear of his two centrist rivals, the mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan, and Crin Antonescu, backed by the ruling Social Democratic party (PSD) and centre-right National Liberal party (PNL).
Despite his convincing polling lead, it appears unlikely Simion will secure the 50% of the vote needed to win outright on Sunday. Instead, he is seen advancing to a second-round runoff, due on 18 May, against either Antonescu or Dan.
Romania’s president has a semi-executive role with considerable powers over foreign policy, national security, defence spending and judicial appointments. They also represent the country on the international stage and can veto important EU votes.
If he is elected, Simion has said he will make public the records of meetings that led to the original election being cancelled, and also reveal “how much we have contributed to the war effort in Ukraine, to the detriment of Romanian children and our elderly”.
Having placed fourth in the November ballot, he refused to participate in TV election debates this week, saying the annulment was a “coup d’état”, Georgescu should have been at the table, and he was staying away “out of respect for the will of the people”.
Polling stations opened at 7am local time on Sunday and close at 9pm, with the first exit polls expected soon after. In the event of a close result, the final outcome could take many hours to be confirmed, as between 5% and 7% of votes are cast abroad.
