George Simion, a nationalist politician advocating to “Make Romania Great Again,” secured a commanding lead in the first round of Romania’s presidential election held Sunday, defying the broader international trend of voters rejecting candidates perceived as aligned with former U.S. President Donald Trump.
With over 98 percent of domestic votes tallied, Simion was well ahead of his ten competitors, capturing more than 40 percent of the total vote. Early returns from Romanian expatriates, who typically support right-wing candidates, also showed strong backing for Simion.
These preliminary results guarantee Simion a place in the runoff election scheduled for May 18, where he is expected to face Nicusor Dan, the centrist mayor of Bucharest, who is likely to finish in second place.
Unlike recent elections in countries such as Canada and Australia, where voters favored candidates openly opposing Trump, Romanian voters appear to have rewarded one of Europe’s most outspoken supporters of the MAGA movement by elevating Simion.
The electorate also signaled disapproval of a December ruling by Romania’s Constitutional Court that annulled an earlier first-round vote and invalidated the victory of Calin Georgescu, an ultranationalist candidate charged with various offenses, including illegal campaigning and involvement in creating an organization with a fascist, racist, or xenophobic character.
Although barred from the rerun, Georgescu cast his ballot alongside Simion on Sunday. Both candidates have positioned themselves as defenders of ordinary Romanians against a corrupt political establishment.
