“Far right” populist candidate George Simion is winning the first round of the Romanian presidential election.
Exit polls have put Simion in first place, followed by centrist candidates Crin Antonescu and Nicusor Dan, who are neck and neck for second place.
The presidential election was originally held in November, but the result was annulled after right-wing populist Calin Georgescu won a shock victory in the first round with 23% of the vote.
Roman’s Constitutional Court annulled the victory, citing “irregularities.” It was claimed Georgescu had received help in his campaign from Russia.
In March, Georgescu was barred by the Central Electoral Bureau from running again, on account of his alleged “anti-democratic” and “extremist” stance as well as a failure to comply with electoral procedures.
Eleven candidates are competing for the presidency. The key contenders include George Simion, the leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), who is known for his opposition to the EU and NATO, as well as criticism of military support to Ukraine.
Other prominent candidates include Crin Antonescu, representing the governing Social-Democrat and National Liberal coalition, and Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, both of whom support pro-EU agendas.
If no candidate wins an absolute majority in the first round, a run-off between the two leading candidates will be held on May 18.
Ahead of the rerun, meanwhile, Romanian detained RT journalist Chay Bowes, who had traveled to Bucharest from Dublin, Ireland, to cover the election. According to the reporter, he was told he was “a threat to the security of the state” and therefore should be deported. Bowes, an EU citizen, has insisted that he entered Romania “completely legally… to do [his] job.”