Candidates to face-off in Romania election

AFTER comfortably topping the first round of Romania's rerun presidential election, far-right leader George Simion will face a centrist mayor in the second round on May 18.

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Simion, a fan of US President Donald Trump who was once active as a football hooligan, is known for his fiery speeches.

He is the polar opposite of his reserved rival, Nicusor Dan. Both men will be vying this week for the top post, which holds significant sway in foreign policy.

Simion, who heads the nationalist AUR party, was a candidate in last year’s presidential vote, which was annulled over claims of Russian interference. He came fourth with around 14 percent.

Fellow far-right candidate Calin Georgescu topped the cancelled November ballot but was barred from taking part in the rerun.

Campaigning on a promise to put Romania first, Simion almost tripled his score in the first round of the rerun, taking 40.9% of the vote.

An avowed fan of Trump, whose inauguration he attended, Simion often dons a cap featuring the US president's slogan “Make America Great Again” and has said he hopes to become Romania's “Maga president”.