Pro-EU Nicusor Dan wins presidential election in Romania

The centrist Nicuşor Dan, the current mayor of Bucharest, won around 54,2% of the votes in Romania's presidential runoff, according to the vote count in 95% of polling stations

Newsroom, 18.05.2025, 23:17

The centrist Nicuşor Dan, the current mayor of Bucharest, won the second round of the presidential election in Romania on Sunday. He won approx. 54.2% of the votes, according to data released in real time by the Permanent Electoral Authority, after centralising the votes in over 98.5% of the polling stations in the country and abroad.

Nicuşor Dan outperformed the hard-right candidate George Simion, the leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, who came in second with 45.8%. As the polls closed, Nicuşor Dan said that following Sunday’s election, standing to win is a community that wants a profound change in Romania, with less corruption, a prosperous business environment, and a society of dialogue rather than hatred.

A total of about 11.6 million Romanian nationals went to the polls, accounting for 65% of the almost 18 million registered voters. A record number of around 1,650,000 voters was also reported abroad, which is unprecedented in post-communist Romania. Almost 19,000 polling stations were opened in the country, while Romanians abroad voted in 965 stations. Voters in Romania only vote on Sunday, whereas those abroad could vote over three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

According to the Permanent Electoral Authority, 87 accredited foreign journalists and 159 international observers have monitored the election. (AMP)