On May 18, 2025, the second round of the presidential elections in Romania ended, which became one of the most tense in the country's post-communist history. According to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Romania, after 88% of the ballots were processed, the pro-European candidate, Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, is in the lead, having received 53,6% of the votes. His competitor, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unification of Romanians (AUR) party, George Simion, received 46,4%. This was reported by Reuters and the Romanian newspaper Adevărul, citing preliminary results. The final results are expected on May 19, but experts are already calling Dan's victory an important signal for maintaining Romania's pro-European course.

The 2025 elections were a repeat after the annulment of the November 2024 vote by Romania’s Constitutional Court over alleged Russian interference in favour of nationalist Calin Georgescu. Georgescu, barred from the new vote, backed Simion, giving him 40,96% of the vote in the first round on 4 May, compared to Dan’s 20,99%. The second round proved highly polarised, reflecting the split in Romanian society between pro-European integrationists and nationalist forces advocating for a “sovereign Romania”.

Nicusor Dan, a 55-year-old independent and former mathematician, positioned himself as a defender of democracy, the rule of law, and support for Ukraine. His campaign focused on modernizing the economy and strengthening Romania’s position in the EU and NATO. George Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the AUR, by contrast, opposed military aid to Kyiv, criticized Brussels, and borrowed the rhetoric of Donald Trump, promising to “make Romania great again.” His popularity, especially among rural residents and the diaspora, was fueled by discontent over corruption and economic hardship.

The election campaign was marred by scandals. Simion accused France of attempting to interfere after Pavel Durov claimed that a European country (presumably France) had asked Telegram to block conservative channels. The French Foreign Ministry denied the allegations, and Dan received public support from President Emmanuel Macron, prompting criticism from AUR.