Romanians backed a staunch European Union supporter in a presidential election rerun on Sunday over a Donald Trump ally, a major victory for—among others—neighboring Ukraine, nearly complete data show. Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan drew about 54% of the vote to about 45% for George Simion, per the AP. Simion had promised to "Make Romania Great Again" and suggested he'd cut aid to Ukraine for its defense against Russia's invasion, the Washington Post reports. "MAGA lost today," said a senator in the center-right Save Romania Union. "So did Russia."
After the partial results were released, Simion stood on the steps of parliament and said he will not concede the election. He told supporters that his projections showed he won by 400,000 votes but provided no evidence of victory. "I will be the president of all the Romanians," he said. "From tomorrow, we will start the reconstruction of the country." Some analysts considered the election the most consequential in Romania since the fall of communism in 1989. European officials were concerned that Simion would align Romania with Hungary and Slovakia, though it's a NATO ally and a member of the EU.
When he voted in his hometown of Fagaras, Dan said, "I cast my vote for maintaining Romania's European direction and for solid cooperation with our European partners, rather than a path which leads to Romania's isolation." The Wall Street Journal describes him as less flashy than his counterparts, a former mathematics student who sometimes stares at the floor when speaking about policy. Outside his headquarters on Sunday, thousands of people gathered in wait for Dan to appear. Many were young and waving Romanian and EU flags. "I'm very happy for our children," said Evelina Necula, 44. "This is the result we worked so hard to see." (More Romania stories.)
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