Romanian liberal mayor Nicusor Dan wins tense race for presidency

The liberal, pro-EU mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, has fought off a powerful problem from a Romanian right-wing nationalist to win the presidency after months of political turbulence.

George Simion, the chief of the far-right AUR occasion, gained a dramatic first-round victory earlier this month, driving a wave of anger from Romanians who had seen the presidential race annulled late final yr due to claims of Russian interference.

However it was the softly spoken Nicusor Dan who swept to victory with 53.6% of the vote, though Simion was extra profitable within the diaspora.

“We have to construct Romania collectively no matter who you voted for,” mentioned Dan, as soon as his victory was safe.

About 11.5 million Romanians voted in Sunday’s run-off, and Dan attracted the assist of greater than six million of them.

The mathematician waited till after midnight on Sunday earlier than he may very well be completely certain that the numbers had been on his facet and he might be part of his supporters in a park reverse Metropolis Corridor in Bucharest.

They went wild, chanting his identify and cheering. At one level he was nearly mobbed however this was an enormous second for the president-elect and for his supporters after months of political stress.

“A neighborhood of Romanians who need a profound change in Romania gained,” Dan mentioned.

Mihai, one in every of many Dan supporters who gathered exterior his electoral headquarters within the capital, advised the BBC he was “actually frightened about Simion”.

“I wish to select the pro-European approach. It is the one approach. It is actually vital,” he added.

Andrea, who got here along with her younger daughter, advised the BBC: “We’re so pleased, we wished to be right here with different supporters of Nicosur.

“This implies a greater future for our kids, for us. A superb life for all of us, and an trustworthy Romania.”

Romanians are broadly sad with the dominance of mainstream events and the turbulence on this European Union and Nato member state intensified earlier this month when the federal government collapsed as a result of its candidate had did not make the second spherical.

Whereas Nicusor Dan campaigned on combating corruption and sustaining assist for north-eastern neighbour Ukraine, Simion attacked the EU and referred to as for chopping help to Kyiv.

“Russia, remember, Romania is not yours,” Dan’s supporters chanted.

Despite the fact that exit polls had given him victory, they didn’t embrace the all-important diaspora vote and Simion clung to the assumption that he might nonetheless win.

“I gained, I’m the brand new president of Romania and I’m giving again energy to the Romanians,” he insisted initially.

It was not till the early hours of Monday that he conceded victory on Fb. A protest deliberate by his supporters was then apparently referred to as off.

In the course of the election marketing campaign Simion had stood facet by facet with Calin Georgescu, the far-right fringe determine who had surprised Romania with a first-round presidential victory on the finish of final yr, buoyed by an unlimited TikTok marketing campaign.

The vote was annulled over allegations of marketing campaign fraud and Russian interference and Georgescu was barred from operating once more. Russia denied any involvement.

Requested by the BBC on Sunday whether or not he was appearing as Georgescu’s puppet, George Simion mentioned: “The puppets are those that annulled the elections… I’m a person of my individuals and my individuals voted for Calin Georgescu.

“Can we like democracy solely when the nice man has gained? I do not suppose that is an choice.”

He mentioned he was a patriot and accused what he referred to as the mainstream media of smearing him as a pro-Russian or fascist.

The important thing to Simion’s success within the first spherical was his extraordinary win amongst diaspora voters in Western Europe, together with within the UK.

His supporters turned out in power once more on Sunday, with partial outcomes giving him 68.5% assist in Spain, 66.8% in Italy and 67% in Germany. He additionally had the sting within the UK, the place voters mentioned they might have picked Calin Georgescu if authorities had not barred him from operating.

“We did not know something about [Georgescu] however then I listened to what he was saying, and you’ll inform he is Christian,” mentioned 37-year-old Catalina Grancea.

She had vowed to return to Romania if Simion had gained and her mom Maria mentioned she too had voted for change: “Our youngsters had been compelled to go away Romania as a result of they could not discover any jobs there.”

Nevertheless, Nicusor Dan’s voters got here out in even greater numbers each in Romania and overseas. In neighbouring Moldova 87% of Romanians backed the mayor of Bucharest.

The presidents of each Moldova and Ukraine congratulated him on his victory.

“Moldova and Romania stand collectively, supporting each other and dealing facet by facet for a peaceable, democratic, and European future for all our residents,” mentioned Maia Sandu.

“For Ukraine, as a neighbour and buddy, you will need to have Romania as a dependable associate,” mentioned Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned on social media that Romanians had turned out in large numbers and had “chosen the promise of an open, affluent Romania in a powerful Europe”.

In the long run this was an emphatic “No” vote to a staunch nationalist with an isolationist imaginative and prescient for Romania, a identified provocateur and a person whose dedication to EU membership and to the bloc’s core values was not clear.

Regardless of his robust displaying in spherical one, these Romanians who frightened about what he stood for seem to have rallied to dam him from energy.

However Simion did win a big chunk of the vote, and his message will nonetheless resonate with many.