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 get together, received 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, although Simion was extra profitable within the diaspora.

“We have to construct Romania collectively regardless of 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 positive that the numbers have been on his facet and he may be a part of his supporters in a park reverse Metropolis Corridor in Bucharest.

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

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

Mihai, considered one of many Dan supporters who gathered outdoors his electoral headquarters within the capital, instructed the BBC he was “actually anxious about Simion”.

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

Andrea, who got here together with her younger daughter, instructed 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 great 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 slicing help to Kyiv.

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

Regardless that exit polls had given him victory, they didn’t embody the all-important diaspora vote and Simion clung to the idea that he may nonetheless win.

“I received, 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.

Throughout 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 working once more. Russia denied any involvement.

Requested by the BBC on Sunday whether or not he was performing 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 great man has received? I do not suppose that is an possibility.”

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 pressure 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’d have picked Calin Georgescu if authorities had not barred him from working.

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

She had vowed to return to Romania if Simion had received and her mom Maria mentioned she too had voted for change: “Our youngsters have 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 huge numbers and had “chosen the promise of an open, affluent Romania in a powerful Europe”.

Ultimately 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 sturdy exhibiting in spherical one, these Romanians who anxious 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.