DEMOCRACY WATCHRomania at the Crossroads as Europe Watches On
George Simion and Nicușor Dan will contest the second round of Romania’s presidential election on 18 May. The election could have profound implications for both Romania and Europe.
Romania is navigating one of the most intense and prolonged electoral periods in its recent history. In just over a year, the country has faced four rounds of national elections (one later annulled) and one round of European elections. On 18 May, Romanians will vote in the second round of the presidential election.
The runoff puts Nicușor Dan, the centrist, pro-EU mayor of Bucharest, against George Simion, a populist and deeply controversial figure who admires Viktor Orbán’s policies, downplays the EU’s importance and vocally opposes Romania’s support for Ukraine. The latter has successfully channeled much of the country’s socio-economic frustration.
The stakes are profound: Romania stands at a crossroads, with the risk of sliding into the ranks of Europe’s illiberal regimes and threatening EU unity in the face of Russian aggression and an unpredictable second Trump presidency. Simion has frequently portrayed himself as a local emissary of the MAGA movement in Romania.
At its core, the 18 May election is a clash of visions: one committed to European integration, democratic institutions and international alliances, and another rooted in isolationism, nationalism and a romanticized, and highly distorted, vision of Romania’s past.
The appeal of the latter is fueled by public disillusionment with political elites and a widespread distrust of mainstream politics. As in the annulled 2024 election, Romania’s traditional major parties, the Liberals and Social Democrats, failed to send a candidate to the runoff, despite running on a joint platform in 2025.
Europe Isn’t the Issue, Disillusionment Is
Much of the debate in the last few months has been reduced to a simple binary divide between the pro-EU/West and the anti-EU/pro-Russian sides. Yet polls consistently show that Romanians remain strongly supportive of EU and NATO membership. According to the November 2024 Eurobarometer, 56% of Romanians trust the EU (above the 51% EU average), and national surveys suggest that three in four Romanians view EU membership as beneficial. Nine in ten oppose any notion of a “ROexit” or leaving NATO.
