Nicusor Dan, the technocratic mayor of Bucharest, won the May 19 runoff with 53.6 percent of the vote, defeating Simion, who received 46.4 percent.
The second round drew nearly 65 percent turnout, the highest in a Romanian presidential election since 2000. In the first round, turnout had been 53 percent.
“This kind of social mobilization tends to happen in Romania whenever an extremist reaches the second round,” said Jakub Pieńkowski, an analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), a Warsaw-based think tank.
“Moderate voters rally around the remaining candidate, whoever that may be, not because they love him, but because they fear the alternative," he added.
Simion, leader of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), had secured 41 percent in the first round, well ahead of Dan’s 21 percent.
His platform combined nationalist rhetoric, criticism of the European Union, and calls for neutrality in the war in Ukraine.
Although he denied pro-Russian sympathies, his proposal to halt aid to Kyiv raised concerns, with Pieńkowski noting that “destabilizing the European Union suits Moscow regardless of the intentions of the politician involved.”
Simion presented himself as Romania’s answer to the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement in the United States, appealing to anti-establishment and anti-system voters.
While he advocated greater sovereignty and a more assertive Romanian position within the European Union, he stopped short of calling for “Roexit,” Romania’s exit from the bloc.
He also reiterated support for NATO and continued alliance with the United States.
Dan, by contrast, is known as a moderate reformer with a technocratic background. A mathematician by training, he has built a reputation for fighting corruption and political cronyism.
Pieńkowski described him as “a cautious, pragmatic figure” who strongly supports Romania’s place in the Euro-Atlantic community, including continued support for Ukraine.
However, Dan has also said that Romania should not send troops to Ukraine even if a peace agreement is reached.
The vote took place after Romania’s constitutional court annulled the original first round of the election held in November. That result had been invalidated due to allegations of campaign misconduct and foreign interference involving candidate Calin Georgescu, who had finished first.
The court cited support from an “external actor,” widely interpreted to mean Russia.
Simion formally conceded after the runoff, but on May 20 he publicly questioned the result, claiming he had evidence of foreign interference in the election, including from France.
Despite the loss, analysts say Simion’s political career is far from over.
“He leads the largest opposition party and achieved a phenomenal result,” said Pieńkowski, who is an expert on Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova.
He added that Simion "successfully positioned himself as Romania’s top anti-establishment politician."
Dan may have disrupted Simion's momentum, Pieńkowski argued, "but five years from now, Simion is very likely to run again."
PISM is one of the most influential international relations research and analysis organisations in the European Union.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP