Romaniaʼs electoral commission has counted all votes from polling stations and declared pro-European centrist politician Nicusor Dan the winner of the presidential election. His far-right rival, Gheorghe Simion, has conceded defeat.
This is reported by the Romanian TV channel Digi 24.
With 100% of the ballots counted, the pro-European candidate received 53.6%, while the far-right candidate Gheorghe Simion received 46.4%. More than 6.1 million Romanians voted for Nicusor Dan, while around 5.3 million voted for Simion. The official results will be final once they are approved by Romaniaʼs Constitutional Court.
Voter turnout was 64.72%, a record high in the last thirty years, since the first elections after the fall of the communist regime.
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The newly elected president of Romania thanked everyone who sought change, emphasizing that the country is entering a new phase of development, and this requires the active participation of every citizen.
"This is a victory for thousands of people," he noted, urging Romanians to actively participate in political and professional life.
Nikusor Dan also addressed Romanians abroad and said that their homeland will always be ready to support them on their European path and, ultimately, to reunite.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Nikusor Dan on his "historic victory" in the presidential elections in Romania and stressed that Romanians can always count on Ukraine as a good neighbour and partner.
"For Ukraine — as a neighbor and friend — it is important to have a reliable partner in the person of Romania. And we are confident that this will be the case. Working together, we can strengthen both our countries and our Europe. We will always treat Romania and its people with great respect, especially considering the support we received during the most difficult period in our history," he wrote.
Presidential elections in Romania
The first round of the presidential election in Romania was held on November 24, 2024. Far-right politician Calin Georgescu and liberal pro-European candidate Elena Lasconi advanced to the second round. Lasconi beat the countryʼs incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu by just 2,700 votes.
Georgescuʼs leadership was unexpected, and he was accused of influencing the election through TikTok. Because of this, the European Commission even asked the platform to provide information on how the social network has reduced the risk of inauthentic or automated use of its service, as well as to list the risks arising from its recommended content system.
Romanian intelligence has found that the TikTok account bogpr, used by Romanian citizen Bogdan Pescir, participated in financing Georgescuʼs campaign. He made payments totaling $381 000 between October 24 and November 24 to users of TikTok accounts that participated in Georgescuʼs promotion.
The Constitutional Court of Romania on December 6, 2024, annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election.
Călin Georgescu was arrested on February 26, 2025. He was charged with inciting anti-constitutional activity, spreading false information, creating a fascist organization, glorifying people accused of genocide and war crimes, and creating an anti-Semitic community. He was released after the charges were filed and is under judicial supervision.
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