A candidate banned from entering Ukraine wins the first round of the Romanian presidential election

The first round of the Romanian presidential election, which took place on May 4, was won by the leader of the far-right Romanian party Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), Gheorghe Simion, and the liberal mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan.

After counting the ballots, the Central Election Bureau of Romania reported that George Simion took first place with 40.96% of the vote, and Nicuşor Dan gained 20.99%, Digi24.ro reports.

In particular, George Simion was supported by 3 million 862 thousand 404 Romanians, and Nicuşor Dan - by 1 million 979 thousand 711.

The AUR party, whose leader is Simion, opposed the provision of weapons to Ukraine and categorically denied the transfer of Romanian Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv, and George Simion has already promised that if he is elected president, Romanian Prime Minister Kelin Georgescu, who was disqualified after violations in the presidential election earlier this year, will become Prime Minister of Romania.

It should be noted that due to statements about territorial claims to Ukraine and Moldova, George Simion is banned from entering these countries. The territorial claims of a number of Romanian political forces to Ukraine relate to the Odesa region and Bukovyna, which for some time were part of Romania, but after 1940 were transferred to the Soviet Union and later became part of independent Ukraine.

In March 2025, Romanian Senator Diana Șoșoaca, who is known for her statements that Ukraine should give her country some of its territories, including those in Odesa region, complained in letters to US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that she was not allowed to run for president in her home country.

At the same time, the Romanian Central Electoral Bureau decided to reject the candidacy of Kelin Georgescu in the presidential election, which caused a clash between his supporters and local law enforcement.

In March 2023, the senator was added to the Peacemaker list. Also on March 24 of the same year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine initiated sanctions against Romanian Senator Diana Soshoaca as a person who poses a threat to national security.

Кирило Бойко