Nicusor Dan is proclaimed president of Romania after defeating George Simion

Romania's second round of elections produced a surprise, with Daniel Dan, the current mayor of Bucharest and a pro-European candidate who advocates providing aid to Ukraine, elected president with 54.03% support. This follows a first round in which Nicolae Simion, the Donald Trump-friendly and anti-European candidate, won with 41% of the vote.

Dan thus defeated the far-right candidate George Simion (45.97%, 4,373,057 votes - 141,142 from abroad), the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), with 5,140,343 votes - 111,876 of them from abroad. "A community that wants to reduce corruption and create a prosperous economic environment for Romanians. A community that wants a society of dialogue, not a society of hate. I want to thank the tens of thousands of Romanians who have campaigned in recent weeks for an idea. They have demonstrated the impressive strength of Romanian society, far above the level of debate in this country," were Dan's first words after his victory from Cismigiu Park in Bucharest.

Dan advocates "fighting for one Romania, not two Romanias." "Let's lay the foundations for a healthy society, to balance the economy. Please have hope and patience. Today is a day for everyone. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin rebuilding Romania, together."

Despite the defeat, Simion declared himself the winner early, asserting that he had achieved a "clear victory" with more than 400,000 votes ahead of Dan. "There are those who have already begun to form a government behind your backs. We will not allow them to do so under any circumstances, in any scenario. The war between Romanians must end. It doesn't matter which side each person was on. That's democracy. We join hands and overcome all problems," he stated. Simion also highlighted the economy as one of his main areas of intervention. "We will put the Romanians who work, who produce, who pay taxes in our country at the center. We will support families and fight for those who want to raise their children in Romania," he promised.

The elections, also held today, have defined Romania's foreign policy and its role in the European Union and NATO for the coming years.

The two candidates' proposals were completely different. On the one hand, Simion opposes military aid to Ukraine, is critical of the European Union's leadership, and claims to be aligned with US President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement. Meanwhile, Dan, the already victorious candidate, is a staunch supporter of the EU and NATO, and argues that Romania's support for Ukraine is vital to its own security in the face of the growing Russian threat.