Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan has acquired greater than 50% of the votes within the second spherical
Professional-EU Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan has defeated Eurosceptic candidate George Simion in Romania’s presidential election rerun, based on the official tally.
With greater than 99% of ballots counted, Dan secured 54% of the vote in Sunday’s runoff, whereas Simion acquired 46%.
Dan thanked his supporters for an “unprecedented mobilization.”
“Beginning tomorrow, we start the reconstruction of Romania – a united and sincere Romania, based on respect for the regulation and for all its folks,” he wrote on X.
Simion, the chief of the right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), didn’t instantly concede defeat. In a submit on X on Sunday night, he claimed he was “the brand new president.” He conceded a number of hours later and congratulated Dan. “It was the desire of the Romanian folks. We are going to go all the way in which, even whether it is exhausting to bear the bitter style of defeat,” he mentioned in a video deal with on Monday.
The professional-EU president of neighboring Moldova, Maia Sandu, congratulated Dan. “Moldova and Romania stand collectively, supporting each other and dealing aspect by aspect for a peaceable, democratic, and European future for all our residents,” she mentioned.
The 2 nations share deep historic and cultural ties, with round 30% of Moldova’s inhabitants holding twin Moldovan-Romanian citizenship. Simion’s occasion has claimed that Moldovan authorities and media retailers carried out an unlawful marketing campaign to mobilize help for Dan amongst voters dwelling in Moldova. Chisinau has denied any interference within the election.
The election rerun was ordered after Romania’s Constitutional Court docket annulled the outcomes of the November vote, wherein unbiased right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu got here first with 23%. The authorities cited “irregularities” in his marketing campaign, together with intelligence experiences alleging Russian interference – claims Moscow has denied.
Simion condemned the annulment of the 2024 election outcomes as a “coup d’état” and mentioned that, if elected, he might appoint Georgescu as prime minister.
Through the first spherical on Could 4, Simion acquired 41% of the vote, whereas Dan and former Senator Crin Antonescu every garnered round 20%.
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