Description: Far – right candidate George Simion led the exit polls as Romanians were headed to presidential reelections after controversially ousting Calin Georgescu over Russian election interference in his campaigns. George Simion represented himself as the most prominent inheritor of Georgescu’s far – right led campaigns as he also enforced anti – EU and pro – Russian sentiments aligning his party, Alliance for the Union of Romanians, with policies similar to US President Donald Trump. Simion also reinforced anti – Ukrainian narratives in his political campaign, rebuking the need for continued support for the country in their war against Russia. Projections placed Simion to win the elections without securing the 50% of the vote needed which meant he could face centrist, Nicusor Dan, or center – right candidate, Crin Antonescu in a runoff election scheduled for 18 May. Romania’s President has a semi – executive role, which is comprised of jurisdictions over decisions such as EU votes, military spending, foreign policy and national security.
Impact: Romania’s potential far – right presidency would upend the country’s strategic positioning towards the EU and undermine traditional political and economic flows internally. The country is one of the EU’s pivotal allies alongside the eastern borders and represents one of the bloc’s defensive and economic cornerstones in the CEE region. Political alignment towards right or far – right policies would also contribute to EU’s internal crisis since the dissolution of transatlantic relations with the US, which would further compromise Europe’s stance on the global stage as an economic and geopolitical factor.