Centrist on track to beat far-right rival in Romania presidential poll

The centrist mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, was last night on track to win Romania's pivotal presidential election.

- Jon Henley

With 85% of votes counted, official figures showed the pro-European independent six points clear of his far-right rival, George Simion.

The figures from Romania's central election authority showed Dan, who had cast the second round vote as a battle between "a pro-western and an anti-western Romania", on 53.2%, while Simion, a self-described Trump admirer, had 46.8%.

The capital's two-term mayor, who made his name fighting corrupt property developers, said voters seeking "profound change, functioning state institutions, less corruption, a prosperous economy and a society of dialogue, not hate, have won".

Simion, however, disputed the polls. "We are the clear winners of these elections. We claim victory in the name of the Romanian people," he said. He promised that a parallel vote count would "ensure the identification of any potential fraud".

Analysts have described the elections as the most important in the country's post-communist history, with serious implications for the country's strategic orientation and economy as well as EU unity.

Simion won the 4 May first round, triggering the collapse of Romania's government of centre-left Social Democrats (PSD) and centre-right Liberals (PNL). The new president will nominate the next prime minister and influence the formation of a new coalition.