Polls close in crucial presidential run-off election in Romania

A woman exits a voting cabin before casting her vote in the presidential election (Andreea Alexandru/AP)

Romanians have been voting on Sunday in a tense presidential run-off between a hard-right nationalist and a pro-western centrist in a high-stakes election rerun that could determine the geopolitical direction of the European Union and Nato member country.

The race pits front-runner George Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, against incumbent Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan.