Centrist candidate leads by 10% in early results, easing fears of far-right shift in EU member state
According to exit polls published Sunday evening by Politico, centrist candidate Nicușor Dan is projected to win Romania’s presidential election, holding a 10-point lead over his far-right rival George Simion. The preliminary figures show Dan with 55% of the vote, compared to 45% for Simion.
Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician and former mayor of Bucharest, appears to have held off the challenge from Simion, the leader of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), whose rapid rise has raised alarms across Europe.
These exit poll results are not yet official; Romania’s electoral commission is expected to begin releasing certified results within the next few hours. However, if confirmed, Dan’s victory would likely be welcomed by Brussels and other European capitals, where concern has grown over the prospect of another EU member state veering sharply to the right.
Romania, a country of 19 million people and a key member of both the European Union and NATO, has seen growing political polarization in recent years. A win for Dan would signal continuity and centrist governance in the face of mounting nationalist rhetoric from figures like Simion.
