Romanian Centrist Wins Prez Polls; Portugal PM to Lead Minority Govt

The centrist mayor of Bucharest won Romania's presidential run-off on Sunday, quashing the ambitions of a far-right Donald Trump loyalist as voters backed pro-European Union politicians in three crucial elections across the bloc.

- Bloomberg

BUCHAREST/WARSAW/LISBON:

Nicusor Dan, an independent and one-time math prodigy, beat George Simion, of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, by 54% to 46%, according to final results published by Romania's election authority.

In Poland, Warsaw's mayor edged out his rival from the populist right in the first round of voting as the two men went through to a presidential run-off on June 1.

Portugal's centre-right prime minister, Luis Montenegro, boosted his support although he's set to lead another fragile minority government.

Those results marked a check on the rise of right-wing forces advancing in many parts of Europe—and laid bare the limits of allegiances to Trump's MAGA brand among voters.