Romanian liberal mayor Nikusor Dan wins a tense race for presidency

The Liberal EU Mayor of Bucharest, Niksor Dan, fought a strong challenge from a Romanian right nationalist to win the Presidency after months of political turbulence.

George Simion, the leader of the far-right Aur party, won a dramatic victory from the first round earlier this month, ride a wave of anger from Romanians who saw the presidential race that canceled at the end of last year for claims for Russian intervention.

But the mildly said Nikor Dan went to victory, winning 54% of the vote in Romania, although Simion was more successful in the diaspora.

“We have to build Romania together, no matter who you voted for,” Dan said after his victory was protected.

More than 11.6 million Romanians voted on Sunday on Sunday, and Dan attracted the support of more than six million of them.

The mathematician waited until midnight on Sunday before he could be absolutely sure that the numbers were on his side and he could join his supporters in a park opposite the Bucharest City Hall.

They were unleashed, chanting his name and cheering. At one point he was almost mobilized, but it was a huge moment for the president’s elected president and his supporters after months of political tension.

“A community of Romanians who want a deep change in Romania won,” Dan said.

Mihai, one of the many supporters of Dan, who gathered outside his electoral headquarters in the capital, told the BBC that he was “really worried by Simion.”

“I want to choose the pro -European way. This is the only way. It’s really important,” he added.

Andrea, who came with her little daughter, told the BBC: “We are so happy that we wanted to be here with other Nicoser supporters.

“It means a better future for our children, for us. A good life for all of us and honest Romania.”

Romanians are widely pleased with the dominance of major parties and turbulence in this European Union and the NATO Member State intensified this month when the government collapsed as its candidate failed to make the second round.

While Nikusor Dan is campaigning in the fight against corruption and maintaining support for the northeastern neighbor Ukraine, Simion attacked the EU and called for cutting in Kiev.

“Russia, remember, Romania is not yours,” the supporters of Dan are chanted.

Although the exit polls gave him a win, they do not involve the vote of all the important Diaspora and Simion clung to the belief that he could still win.

“I won, I am the new president of Romania and I return the power to the Romanians,” he insisted initially.

It was not until the early hours of Monday that did he win Facebook. After that, a protest planned by his supporters was obviously canceled.

During the election campaign, Simion stood side by side with Kalin Georgesko, the far right figure, who had stunned Romania with a victory in the president from the first round at the end of last year, flooded by a huge Tittok campaign.

The vote was canceled because of the allegations of fraud with campaigns and Russian intervention, and Georgu was forbidden to run again. Russia has denied any participation.

Asked by the BBC on Sunday if he acts as a puppet of George, George Simion replied: “The puppets are the ones who cancel the election … I am the man of my people and my people voted for Kalin George.

“Do we only like democracy when a good man has won? I don’t think this is an option.”

He said he was a patriot and accused what he called the main media, that he smeared him as pro -Russian or fascist.

The key to Simion’s success in the first round was his exceptional victory among Diaspora voters in Western Europe, including the UK.

His supporters again found themselves on Sunday, with partial results giving him 68.5% support in Spain, 66.8% in Italy and 67% in Germany. He also had the advantage in the UK, where voters said they would have chosen Kalin Georgesko if the authorities had not forbidden him from running.

“We didn’t know anything about (georgescu), but then I listened to what he was saying, and you can say he was a good Christian,” said 37-year-old Catalina Grand.

She had sworn to return to Romania if Simion won, and her mother Maria said that she had voted for change: “Our children were forced to leave Romania because they could not find a job there.”

However, the voters of Nikor Dan have come up with an even larger number in both Romania and abroad. In neighboring Moldova, 87% of Romanians supported the Mayor of Bucharest.

The presidents of both Moldova and Ukraine congratulated him on his victory.

“Moldova and Romania stand together, supporting each other and working side by side for a peaceful, democratic and European future for all our citizens,” said Maya Sano.

“For Ukraine, as a neighbor and friend, it is important for Romania to have Romania as a reliable partner,” says Volodimir Zelenski in Kiev.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media that Romanians were in a huge issue and “chose the promise of an open, prosperous Romania in a strong Europe.”

In the end, this was a definite “no” vote for an unwavering nationalist with an isolationist vision for Romania, a known provocateur and a person whose commitment to EU membership and the basic values ​​of the block were not clear.

Despite his strong display in the first round, those Romanians who are worried about what he was overlaw seemed to have gathered to block him from power.

But Simion has won a considerable part of the vote and his message will still resonate with many.