The independent centrist candidate, Nicuşor Dan, won the presidential elections in Romania

Bucharest – Nicuşor Dan received over 54% of the votes in the second round on Sunday after his opponent George Simion largely dominated the first round of voting on May 4, with nearly 41% of the votes, double the percentage obtained by the mayor of Bucharest.

Dan’s election was seen by analysts as a triumph of moderate Europeanism over the nationalist and Eurosceptic rhetoric of Simion, who opposes military aid to neighboring Ukraine and criticizes EU policies.

The presidential elections were closely watched by the international community, and messages flowed immediately, from the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who praised the Romanian choice for a “strong Europe,” to the French head of state, Emmanuel Macron, for whom “democracy” won “despite numerous attempts at manipulation.”

Dan now has the responsibility to restore trust in institutions and to address a difficult economic situation, with Romania recording the largest deficit in the European Union (EU) and being threatened by a downgrade of its credit rating.

His presidential program, titled “Honest Romania,” proposes deep institutional reforms, including the digitization of the state, reducing bureaucracy, promoting meritocracy in public positions, and modernizing the judicial system.

In foreign policy, Dan advocates for increasing defense spending to 3.5% of GDP, strengthening the alliance with the United States, and reducing technological dependence on authoritarian powers like China.

The Romanian head of state has responsibilities regarding appointments to key positions and participates in European Union and NATO summits.

The presidential elections on Sunday represented a repeat of the vote from last November. At that time, independent candidate Călin Georgescu, considered pro-Russian, won the first round after campaigning largely on the online platform TikTok. After the opening of the polls abroad for the second round, the Constitutional Court annulled the first round due to irregularities in campaign financing and prohibited Georgescu from running again. (19.5.2025)