George Simion, who has pledged to “Make Romania Great Again,” secured victory in the first round of his country’s presidential election on Sunday, defying the recent trend where voters have rejected candidates seen as aligned with President Trump.
With over 98 percent of votes cast inside Romania tallied, Mr. Simion significantly led his 10 opponents, capturing more than 40 percent. Preliminary counts of votes from Romanians living abroad, who typically lean towards far-right ideologies, also showed Mr. Simion in a commanding lead.
The initial results, even though incomplete, guaranteed Mr. Simion a spot in the runoff on May 18 against the likely second-place contender, Nicusor Dan, the centrist mayor of Bucharest, Romania’s capital.
Contrary to recent elections in Canada and Australia where voters favored parties openly critical of Mr. Trump, Romanian voters supported Mr. Simion, showing their endorsement of one of Europe’s most prominent MAGA movement advocates.
Romania’s voters also voiced strong opposition to the December decision by the country’s Constitutional Court to invalidate an earlier first round of the presidential election and to cancel the victory of Calin Georgescu, an ultranationalist. The court’s decision was made under the premise of ensuring “electoral process correctness and legality.”Charges were filed against Mr. Georgescu in February, including accusations of unlawful campaigning and establishing an organization “of a fascist, racist or xenophobic nature.”
Mr. Georgescu, prohibited from participation in the rescheduled election, voted on Sunday alongside Mr. Simion. Both individuals position themselves as defenders of ordinary Romanians against a corrupt elite.
Celebrating the results on Sunday evening, Mr. Simion hailed the election as “a triumph for Romanian dignity.”
“Despite the obstacles,” he stated, “despite the manipulation, despite press entities paid to denigrate us consistently, Romanians have stood tall.”
Mr. Simion shares many of Mr. Georgescu’s ideologies, including skepticism towards the European Union and opposition to military aid for Ukraine. A long-standing figure in Romanian politics, he is better recognized—and perceived as more predictable—than Mr. Georgescu, a more eccentric individual known for mystical references and admiration for past Romanian fascist figures.
Prior to the flooding of TikTok with mysterious videos in the campaign’s final days that unexpectedly boosted his popularity, few Romanians were familiar with Mr. Georgescu.
The Constitutional Court revoked his initial victory merely two days before a run-off vote in December, which he had been favored to win. The court aimed to “ensure the correctness and legality of the electoral process.”
The court’s ruling sparked street protests and complaints from Vice President JD Vance that Europe was moving away from democracy and free speech. The decision followed Romania’s security service releasing classified intelligence suggesting potential Russian interference in the campaign, without providing concrete evidence.
Romania’s president holds limited powers, including overall military command, considerable influence over military spending, and oversight of foreign policy. However, control over economic and other domestic policies rests with Parliament, where centrist forces maintain a narrow majority.
Andrada Lautaru contributed to this report from Bucharest.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/world/europe/romania-election-george-simion.html
