Far right candidate takes the lead in Romania's presidential race

A supporter of the leader of nationalist sovereign party 'Alliance for the Union of Romanians' AUR George Simion stands next to a giant screen on which his video message was transmitted after exit poll results were announced during the first round of the presidential election in Bucharest on 4 May, 2025. AFP - DANIEL MIHAILESCU

Romania's far-right candidate George Simion took a comfortable lead in Sunday's first round of presidential elections, near-final results for the rerun of last year's annulled ballot showed.

The closely watched rerun could potentially herald a foreign policy shift in the EU country of 19 million, which has become a key pillar of NATO since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.