Will Romania, an EU and NATO member, remain on a democratic path? The repeat presidential election will set the course for this.

Following the annulment of last year's presidential election in Romania, an EU and NATO member, the rerun of the vote has begun. According to polls, George Simion of the far-right AUR party has the best prospects. However, it is considered unlikely that any of the eleven candidates will achieve an absolute majority right away, so a runoff election between the two top finishers in the first round is expected on May 18. Polls close at 8:00 PM (CEST).

In the first round of the presidential election in November 2024, the far-right Kremlin ally Calin Georgescu surprisingly came first. However, the Constitutional Court declared the result invalid due, among other things, to irregularities in campaign financing. The court also banned Georgescu from running for president again. The public prosecutor's office has been investigating him since the end of February.

According to polls, it's difficult to predict who might come second in the first round. Chances are given to the candidate of the social democratic-centrist governing coalition, Crin Antonescu, the conservative-liberal Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, and the former social democratic prime minister Victor Ponta.

Simion's declared goal is to ensure "justice" for Georgescu in the event of his election victory. He has not ruled out helping Georgescu become prime minister. In Romania, the president sets the guidelines for foreign and security policy.