The pro-Ukrainian and pro-European mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan, won the second round of the Romanian presidential election. He received 53.6% of the vote.
This was reported by the Romanian service of Radio Liberty.
According to the electoral commission, according to preliminary results after counting 20,085 protocols, Nicusor Dan received 6,168,696 votes, or 53.60% of the vote, and his rival, far-right politician George Simion, received 5,339,039, or 46.40% of the vote.
The difference between the two candidates was 829,657 votes.
More than 11.6 million Romanians voted in the second round of voting, which means a turnout of 64.72%.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already congratulated Dan on his "historic victory" in the election. It is important for Ukraine, Romania's neighbour and friend, to be reliable partners with this country, he said.
"And we are confident that we will. By working together, we can strengthen both our countries and Europe. We will always have the utmost respect for Romania and its people, especially for the support we received during the most difficult period in our history. Dear Romanians, you can count on Ukraine as a reliable friend and partner. We can overcome any challenges if we are united and strong," Zelenskyy wrote in X.
He added that he was looking forward to further developing the partnership between Ukrainians and Romanians.
- Yesterday, Romania's presidential election saw the highest turnout in 20 years.
- Nicușor Dan, who is currently the mayor of Bucharest, is running as an independent candidate. He has promised to fight corruption, is a strong supporter of the EU and NATO, and has stated that Romania's support for Ukraine is vital to Romania's security.
- Read more about the elections in LB.ua's article "Presidential elections in Romania: risks for Ukraine and our partners".