EU relief after defeat of far-right candidate in Romanian election

The centrist mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, has begun sounding out Romania's political parties over forming a new majority government after winning the country's presidential election in a result greeted with relief across the European Union.

- Jon Henley

With all votes counted yesterday morning, Dan, who had described the second-round vote as a battle between "a pro-western and an anti-western Romania", scored 53.6%, official figures showed, against 46.4% for his far-right rival, George Simion.

Dan, 55, a softly spoken mathematician who has been the capital's independent mayor since 2020, came from behind to win after losing heavily to Simion, a brash, EU-critical Trump admirer who had wanted to halt aid to Ukraine, in the first round.

At nearly 65%, turnout was the highest in a Romanian election for a quarter of a century, reflecting the importance of a vote with huge consequences for the country's strategic and economic prospects.

Staunchly pro-EU and pro-Nato, Dan had campaigned on a pledge to fight corruption, maintain support for neighbouring Ukraine - where Romania has played an important logistical role - and keep the country firmly within the western mainstream.