Romania’s centrist Bucharest mayor, Nicusor Dan, appeared on course to win the Romanian presidency on Sunday in an election closely watched across Europe amid a rise of support for US President Donald Trump’s far-right politics.
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Official results from half of polling stations showed Dan taking about 50.5 per cent of votes, while exit polls published right after voting ended had him at 54-55 per cent.
The soft-spoken mathematician made a last-minute dash to the top in recent days after weeks of trailing George Simion, a hard-right supporter of Trump and a Eurosceptic wanting to end military aid for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Simion did not concede.
Dan, 55, had campaigned on a pledge to fight rampant corruption, maintain support for Ukraine – where Romania has played an important logistic role – and to keep the country firmly within the European mainstream.
If final results confirm his victory, Dan would need to nominate a prime minister to negotiate a majority in parliament to reduce Romania’s budget deficit – the largest in the EU – as well as to reassure investors and try to avoid a credit rating downgrade.
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“There will be a difficult period ahead, necessary for economic rebalancing to lay the foundations of a healthy society. Please have hope and patience,” Dan told supporters after exit polls were published.