BUCHAREST – Romania is heading for a deeply polarised presidential election run-off as almost-final results from Sunday’s first round suggested a surging far right candidate will face a pro-European moderate.

George Simion, leader of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians-party (AUR), is projected to secure place in the second round of the presidential election, according to preliminary results.

Around 91% of the vote had been counted by 11:20pm local time on Sunday (10:20pm CEST). Simion, who only placed fourth in the annulled presidential elections last November, had won the most votes with around 40%, outperforming several mainstream candidates. Exit polls had projected him to gain close to 30%.

He is likely to face the centrist coalition candidate, Crin Antonescu from the National Liberal party, who had won around 21%.

Turnout is estimated at 53%, with an estimated 9.5 million people casting their ballot.

The run-off, scheduled for May 18, is expected to be fiercely contested.

Romania has been in political disarray since the Supreme Court annulled the first attempt at holding the election late last year. Then, Putinist far-right firebrand Călin Georgescu defied opinion polling to win the first round, but was later found to have benefitted from a Russian interference campaign.

Simion cast his vote on Sunday morning alongside Georgescu. “The time has come to reclaim our country from the scoundrels,” declared Georgescu, whom Simion has said he would appoint prime minister if victorious.

The result would set up a high-stakes second round that will determine Romania’s future direction on foreign policy, judicial reform and relations with the European Union, as well as the country’s support for Ukraine.

Vocally anti-EU, Simion opposes continued Western military aid to Ukraine and has called for negotiated settlement, echoing Donald Trump’s stance, though he has described Vladimir Putin as a war criminal. He was banned from Ukraine in 2024 for ‘anti-Ukrainian activities’, but maintains an ostensibly pro-NATO position, framing Romania’s role as defensive rather than interventionist.

Charles Szumski contributed reporting from Paris.

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