Romanian presidential election: Who's leading and possible runoff according to exit polls
Photo: George Simion, Far-right presidential candidate in Romania (Getty Images)
The ultra-right and anti-Ukrainian candidate George Simion is leading in the presidential elections in Romania. However, he still faces a second round of voting, the Romanian media outlet hotnews.ro reports, citing the results of exit polls conducted by CURS and Avangard.
CURS exit poll results:
- George Simion - 33.1%
- Crin Antonescu - 22.9%
- Nicușor Dan - 20.9%
- Victor Ponta - 14.7%
- Elena Lasconi - 4.4%
Avangard exit poll results:
- George Simion - 30%
- Crin Antonescu - 23%
- Nicușor Dan - 23%
- Victor Ponta - 15%
- Elena Lasconi - 4%
- As predicted, none of the candidates will secure more than 50% of the votes. Therefore, the second round of elections will take place on May 18.
Based on the exit poll results, Simion may face Antonescu (one of Romania's most influential political leaders, who served as acting president in 2012) or Dan (the mayor of Bucharest, known for his anti-corruption efforts), who are statistically close in support.
Second attempt at elections in Romania
It's important to note that this is the second time in six months that Romania is holding presidential elections. The results of the first round, which took place in November 2024, were annulled by the Constitutional Court of Romania.
The reason for this decision was the high-profile scandal involving the ultra-right politician Calin Georgescu, who unexpectedly won in the first round, despite having no chances according to pre-election forecasts. Reports later revealed that his victory was aided by an unfair election campaign, with Russia even suspected of being involved.
Since Georgescu was banned from running again, he was replaced in the race by George Simion, who has promised to oppose military aid to Ukraine and has previously made territorial claims against Ukraine.
For more information on the elections in Romania, read our material on the topic.
