Romania’s far-right Simion clear winner in first-round presidential vote

Hard-right Eurosceptic George Simion won the first round of Romania’s presidential election re-run on Sunday, near final results showed, after a ballot seen as a test of the rise of Donald Trump-style nationalism in the European Union.

Ballots from nearly 99.6 per cent of voting stations showed Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, 55, was in second place at around 21 per cent, behind Simion’s 40.6 per cent. They will meet in a run-off on May 18.

A Simion victory could isolate the country, erode private investment and destabilise Nato’s eastern flank, where Ukraine is fighting a three-year-old Russian invasion, political observers say.

It would also expand a cohort of Eurosceptic leaders in the EU that already includes the Hungarian and Slovak prime ministers at a time when Europe is struggling to formulate its response to Trump.

“This is not just an electoral victory, it is a victory of Romanian dignity. It is the victory of those who have not lost hope, of those who still believe in Romania, a free, respected, sovereign country,” Simion said.