BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) 鈥 Romanians were voting on Sunday in a tense presidential runoff between a hard-right nationalist and a pro-Western centrist in a high-stakes election rerun that could determine the geopolitical direction of the European Union and NATO member country.
The race pits front-runner George Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, against incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan. It comes months after the cancellation of the previous election plunged Romania into its worst political crisis in decades.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. and were to close at 9 p.m. (1800 GMT) By 5 p.m., more than 9.2 million people 鈥 or about 51.3% of eligible voters 鈥 had cast ballots, according to official electoral data. Romanians abroad have been able to vote since Friday at specially set-up polling stations, and more than 1.38 million have already voted.
Turnout is typically higher in the final round of Romanian presidential elections, and is expected to play a decisive role in the outcome on Sunday. In , final turnout stood at 9.5 million, or 53% of eligible voters.
Romania鈥檚 political landscape was upended last year when a top court voided the previous election after far-right outsider topped first-round polls, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow denied.
Simion appeared alongside Georgescu at a Bucharest polling station on Sunday and told reporters that he voted against the 鈥渉umiliations to which our sisters and brothers have been subjected.鈥
鈥淲e voted against abuses and against poverty,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 voted for our future to be decided only by Romanians, for Romanians and Romania. So help us God!鈥
What's going on in Romania?
Years of endemic corruption and growing anger toward Romania鈥檚 have fueled a surge in support for anti-establishment and hard-right figures, reflecting a broader pattern across Europe. Both Simion and Dan have made their political careers railing against Romania鈥檚 old political class.
Most recent local surveys indicate the runoff will be tight, after earlier ones showed Simion holding a lead over Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician who rose to prominence as a civic activist fighting against illegal real estate projects.
After voting in his hometown of Fagaras, Dan told reporters that he voted for Romanians 鈥渨ho are quiet, honest, and hardworking, and who have not felt represented for a long time.鈥
鈥淚 voted for a change that brings prosperity, not one that brings instability and discourages investment in Romania,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 voted for a European direction, and for strong cooperation with our European partners, not for Romania鈥檚 isolation. I voted for a society where we can have dialogue, not one where we are destined to be divided.鈥
Dan founded the reformist Save Romania Union party in 2016 but later left, and is running independently on a pro-European Union ticket reaffirming Western ties, support for Ukraine and fiscal reform.
Simion's rhetoric in the lead-up to Sunday had raised some concerns that he would not respect the outcome if he lost.
He appeared on the steps of Romania鈥檚 colossal Communist-era parliament building early in the afternoon, telling reporters his team was confident in a 鈥渓andslide victory鈥 if the election was 鈥渇ree and fair.鈥
However, he repeated allegations of voting irregularities among Romanian citizens in neighboring Moldova and said his party members would conduct a parallel vote count after polls close. He told The Associated Press the ballot so far had proceeded properly.
Adrian Nadin, a 51-year-old musician who supported Georgescu in the previous election, said he chose Simion. 鈥淎 part of Romania prefers conservatism,鈥 he said.
Luminita Petrache, a 32-year-old financial crimes analyst, did not want to say who she voted for but described the runoff as a geopolitical choice between East and West.
鈥淚t is very important because the next president will be our image in Europe, and (decide) how Romania will evolve in the next five years,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 hope for changes in Romania in good ways.鈥
What's ahead?
The president is elected for a five-year term and has significant decision-making powers in matters of national security and foreign policy. The winner of Sunday's race will be charged with nominating a new prime minister after Marcel Ciolacu stepped down following the failure of his coalition鈥檚 candidate .
After coming fourth in last year鈥檚 canceled race, Simion backed Georgescu, who was in the election redo. Simion then surged to front-runner in the May 4 first round after becoming the standard-bearer for the hard right.
A former activist who campaigned for reunification with neighboring Moldova, Simion says he would focus on reforms: slashing red tape and reducing bureaucracy and taxes. Still, he insists that restoring democracy is his priority, returning "the will of the people.鈥
His AUR party says it stands for 鈥渇amily, nation, faith, and freedom鈥 and rose to prominence in a 2020 parliamentary election. It has since grown to become the second-largest party in the Romanian legislature.
A stark choice: Russia or the EU?
His critics say Simion is a pro-Russian extremist who threatens Romania鈥檚 longstanding alliances in the EU and NATO.
In an AP interview, he rejected the accusations, saying Russia is his country鈥檚 biggest threat and that he wants Romania to be treated as 鈥渆qual partners鈥 in Brussels.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think he is a pro-Russian candidate, I also don鈥檛 think that he鈥檚 an anti-Russian candidate,鈥 said Claudiu Tufis, an associate professor of political science at the University of Bucharest. 鈥淚 think what is driving him is 鈥 his focus on what I call identity politics.鈥
In the first-round vote, Simion won a massive 61% of Romania鈥檚 large diaspora vote, with his calls to patriotism resonating with Romanians who moved abroad in search of better opportunities.
Hours after voting abroad opened on Friday, Simion accused the Moldovan government of election fraud, claims that were quickly rejected by Moldovan and Romanian authorities.
