Romanians return to polls in election which could propel ultranationalist to power

A woman casts her vote in the first round of the presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania (Vadim Ghirda/AP)

Romanians are casting ballots on Sunday in a critical presidential election redo after last year’s annulled vote plunged the European Union (EU) and Nato member country into its worst political crisis in decades.

Eleven candidates are vying for the presidency and a May 18 run-off is expected. Polls opened at 7am local time (4am GMT) and will close at 9pm (6pm GMT).

Romanians abroad have been able to vote since Friday.

Romania’s political landscape was shaken last year when a top court voided the previous election in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped the polls in the first-round, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied.

Like many countries in the EU, anti-establishment sentiment is running high in Romania, fuelled by high inflation and cost of living, a large budget deficit and a sluggish economy.

Observers say the malaise has bolstered support for nationalist and far-right figures like Mr Georgescu, who is under investigation and barred from the rerun.

While data from local surveys should be taken with caution, a median of polls suggests that hard-right nationalist George Simion will enter the run-off, likely pitting him against Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, or the governing coalition’s candidate, Crin Antonescu.

A man exits a voting booth before casting his vote in the first round of the presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania (Vadim Ghirda/AP)

Mr Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician and former anti-corruption activist who founded the Save Romania Union party (USR) in 2016, is running on a pro-EU “Honest Romania” ticket. He says Romania needs a president “who has the will and the ability to reform the system”.

Veteran centrist Mr Antonescu, 65, has campaigned on retaining Romania’s pro-Western orientation, while Victor Ponta, a former prime minister between 2012 and 2015, has also pushed a Maga-style “Romania First” campaign and boasts of having close ties to the Trump administration.

Another hopeful, Elena Lasconi, came second in last year’s first-round ballot and is participating in the rerun. She has positioned herself as a staunchly pro-Western, anti-system candidate, railing against what she describes as a corrupt political class.

Distrust in the authorities remains widespread, especially for those who voted for Mr Georgescu, a sizeable electorate that Mr Simion has sought to tap into.

“The anti-establishment sentiment is not like an anarchic movement, but is against the people who destroyed this country,” Mr Simion, who came fourth in last year’s race and later backed Mr Georgescu, told The Associated Press.

“We are not a democratic state anymore.”

Mr Simion said that his hard-right nationalist Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) party is “perfectly aligned with the Maga movement”, capitalising on a growing wave of populism in Europe after US President Donald Trump’s political comeback.

AUR rose to prominence in a 2020 parliamentary election, proclaims to stand for “family, nation, faith, and freedom”, and has since doubled its support.

The election redo is a crossroads moment for Romania as it seeks to restore its democracy and retain its geopolitical alliances, which have become strained since the cancelled election fiasco.

The decision to annul the election and the ban on Mr Georgescu’s candidacy drew criticism from US vice president JD Vance, Elon Musk and Russia, which publicly supported his candidacy in the rerun.

The presidential role carries a five-year term and significant decision-making powers in national security and foreign policy.