Exit polls in Romania’s second attempt at a presidential election indicate that the pro-Europe, centrist candidate, Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, is ahead with around 54 percent of the vote, but both candidates have indicated they will declare victory as they await official results.

Newsweek reached out to George Simion’s team and the Bucharest mayor’s office for comment by email on Sunday.

Why It Matters

Romania in December annulled the results of the first round of the country’s presidential election after declassified intelligence documents by then-Romanian President Klaus Iohannis alleged that Russia orchestrated a campaign to promote far-right candidate Călin Georgescu on platforms such as TikTok and Telegram. Iohannis, meanwhile, resigned in February.

As a result, Georgescu has been banned from partaking in the subsequent election. Both Georgescu and Moscow have denied any collusion.

What To Know

Dan is on course to win the election, but his rival, hard-right George Simion, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Euro-skeptic, has indicated he still believes he will win.

Simion said that the election was “clear,” and in a post on Facebook, he wrote, “I won!!! I am the new President of Romania and I am giving back the power to the Romanians!” according to a translation of his post.

However, exit polls indicate Dan currently has around 54 percent of the ballots, according to Reuters. An official tally is still underway.

“There will be a difficult period ahead, necessary for economic rebalancing to lay the foundations of a healthy society. Please have hope and patience,” Dan told his supporters after the exit polls were released.

Should Dan secure victory, his first task will be to nominate a prime minister to negotiate a majority in parliament, tackle the country’s budget, which Reuters called “the largest in the EU,” and try to avoid economic backlash from investors and credit rating firms.

Dan’s win would prove a true shock for politicos who saw Simion win the first round of voting earlier this month, with over 30 percent of the vote. On the campaign trail, Simion said that he ran for “every Romanian who has been lied to, ignored, humiliated, and still has the strength to believe and defend our identity and rights.”

Dan finished more votes than Crin Antonescu, the governing head of the Social-Democrat and National Liberal coalition but still had to defeat Simion in a second round of voting.

Dan has held his post since 2020 and founded the Save Bucharest Union, which later evolved into the Save Romania Union, in 2015, although he left the party in 2017.

What Happens Next?

The final results will continue to trickle in throughout Sunday evening into Monday, and should Simion challenge the results, it will likely drag on even longer.