Nicusor Dan Wins Romanian Presidential Election Amid Accusations of Outside Interference

On May 18, Romania held the final round of its presidential election, with far-right Alliance for the Unification of Romanians leader George Simion facing off against Bucharest’s liberal-progressive mayor Nicușor Dan.

According to the Romanian Central Election Commission, Dan received 53.60% of the vote, defeating Simion, who garnered 46.40%, Orda.kz reports.

According to the BBC, Dan has consistently advocated for continued support for Ukraine, stating that Kyiv’s victory aligns with the interests of the wider region. Simion, by contrast, promotes neutrality in the conflict and opposes the supply of weapons to Ukraine. He has also stated that his foreign policy would mirror that of the Donald Trump administration and has called for Ukraine to compensate Romania for previous assistance.

The election was also marked by controversy surrounding online content and foreign influence.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov claimed that a European government had requested that Telegram block “conservative” channels ahead of Romania’s presidential vote.

He later added that the request came from Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, during the Salon des Batailles exhibition at the Hôtel de Crillon.

France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs called the accusations baseless and strongly denied them.

Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Cernea also commented, noting indications of Russian attempts to influence the second round of the vote.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded on Telegram:

Firstly, I would ask you not to call THIS elections. Secondly, it is impossible to interfere in something like this, only to get into trouble. So let them not smear anyone with their electoral. Clean up yourselves! 

Original Author: Oksana Matvienko