On May 18, 2025, the second round of the presidential elections in Romania ended, becoming a key event for determining the country's political course. According to exit polls conducted by the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology (CURS) and the Avangarde Social and Behavioural Research Group, Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan is in the lead. According to CURS, Dan is gaining 54,1% of the votes, while his opponent, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unification of Romanians (AUR) party, George Simion, is receiving 45,9%. Avangarde shows similar results: 54,9% for Dan and 45,1% for Simion. Preliminary data from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Romania, based on the processing of 87% of the ballots, confirms Dan's lead with 53,41% against 46,59% for Simion. This was reported by the BBC, Reuters and the Romanian TV channel Digi24.

Polling stations closed at 21:00 local time (the same as Moscow time). Turnout was a record 64,72%, 11% higher than in the first round on May 4 and the highest in the last 20 years. According to the Central Election Commission, 11,64 million people voted, including 9,99 million within the country and 1,64 million abroad. The high turnout, especially in Bucharest (56%) and among the diaspora, played a key role, as Dan enjoyed greater support in the cities and among young people, while Simion dominated among the diaspora (61% in the first round) and in rural areas.

The election was a repeat after the November 2024 vote was annulled over allegations of Russian interference in support of far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, who was later disqualified. In the first round on May 4, Simion won 40,96% and Dan 20,99%, qualifying them for the second round. Simion, a self-described "Trumpist" who opposes aid to Ukraine, rejected the exit polls, claiming a 400-vote margin, though official results did not confirm this.

Nicusor Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician and pro-European integrationist, has focused on strengthening Romania’s position in the EU and NATO, and supporting Ukraine. He has repeatedly stressed that a Kyiv victory in the war is in the interests of the region, including the security of Romania, where NATO bases and a training center for F-16 pilots for the Ukrainian Armed Forces are located. Simion, on the contrary, has advocated for a “sovereign Romania,” criticized Brussels, and promised to return Georgescu to power, raising fears of destabilizing NATO’s eastern flank.