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2025 Presidential Elections

On 18 May 2025, independent candidate and Bucharest's Mayor Nicusor Dan was elected to be the next President of Romania. The May repeat presidential election followed the Constitutional Court’s annulment of the November 2024 vote based on findings of co-ordinated manipulation of social networks and undeclared funding in support of one candidate.

With 100 percent of ballots counted early on May 19, centrist, pro-EU, and pro-Ukraine, Nicusor Danr received more than 53.6 percent of the vote (6.17 million) in the second-round presidential election runoff, ahead of Simion at 46.4 percent (5.34 million), according to Romania's election commission.

38-year-old ultranationalist and leader of the AUR party, George Simion, initially claimed victory saying his numbers showed he'd won by some 400,000 ballots. He later conceded defeat in the early hours of May 19.

Turnout for the runoff was a record at more than 64 percent and with around 11.6 million Romanians from both inside the country and abroad voting. 2 million more electors voted in the second round than in the first round and more than in the previous November's initial vote.

The 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections in Romania, held at the conclusion of President Klaus Iohannis’s mandate, unfolded against a backdrop of a growing disaffection with mainstream political parties. The first round of the presidential election took place on 24 November 2024. Following the vote, the Central Election Bureau (CEB) announced that independent candidate Calin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union (USR) qualified for the second round, having received 23 and 19 per cent of the vote, respectively.

Parliamentary elections were held one week later, on 1 December. A coalition government was subsequently formed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians (RMDSZ/UDMR), with the support of national minority parties.

Both before and shortly after the first round of the presidential election, civil society actors, journalists, and political party representatives voiced concerns about the integrity of the campaign. On 4 December, declassified intelligence reports were published outlining co-ordinated manipulation of social networking platforms via automated accounts and financial violations concerning Mr. Georgescu’s campaign. Following the annulment, the European Commission opened an investigation into TikTok concerning allegations of foreign information manipulation and interference and undisclosed paid political content. TikTok reported that it was cooperating with the investigation and had removed a total of 27,217 inauthentic accounts forming a network that “attempted to promote the AUR political party and, to a smaller extent, the independent candidate Calin Georgescu”.

Romania was set to hold presidential elections again in 2025, after the country's Constitutional Court (CCR) annulled, on 06 December 2024, the results of the first round of the presidential elections after declassified reports suggested foreign involvement aimed at undermining the integrity of the electoral process. The decision of the CCR came as voting in the second round had already started at polling stations in the diaspora and less than 48 hours before the start of the vote in the country. The second round would have seen ultranationalist Calin Georgescu, the surprise winner of the first round, face centrist Elena Lasconi, the candidate of the Save Romania Union (USR), backed by pro-EU parties.

President Klaus Iohannis, whose mandate was due to end on December 21, remained in office until his successor is sworn in. He convened the newly-elected Parliament on December 20. A new Government, to be validated by the Parliament, is to decide the date of the presidential elections. The president designates the PM and appoints the Government following the vote of confidence from the Parliament.

National Liberal Party (PNL) president Ilie Bolojan, who took over the party's leadership after former leader and presidential candidate Nicolae Ciuca came out fifth in the first round of the presidential elections, said he was not interested in running for president.

Nicusor Dan, who won a second mandate as the mayor of Bucharest this spring, ran for for president as an independent in the 2025 elections, he announced on 16 December 2024. Dan said he is open to having talks with the pro-European parties to support his bid. "What we need is a president who makes sure that the reformist direction that the parties reference these days will be followed through in the governmental activity. I am convinced that the Romanian society will take advantage of this unexpected moment and find the resources to move forward and change what needs changing," Dan said.

A fundamental change is needed in the way the state responds to the needs of citizens, Dan said upon announcing his presidential bid. He pointed to three major problems, starting with corruption and how public institutions work. "Entire areas are captured by interest groups that act for the benefit of the group and not for the public interest. There will be a tough fight between those defending the public interest and those acting on their group interest," he said.

Dan's announcement concerning the presidential bid came as a coalition of NGOs proposed him as the candidate of the pro-EU parties in early December. After Georgescu's surprise win and with far-right parties gaining ground after the Parliamentary elections, held on December 1, a coalition made up of the Social Democrat Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and representatives of other ethnic minorities have started talks to form a pro-European Government and announced backing for "a possible sole presidential candidate."

The official campaign period commenced on 4 April. Most candidates have engaged voters primarily through social media, and to a much lesser extent, through posters and leaflets, as well as occasional larger rallies.30 Some candidates began campaigning prior to the official start date, in a period not subject to campaign regulations (also see Campaign Finance). To date, campaign discourse has largely focused on anti-corruption, national and religious identity, values identified as traditional, and criticism of the political establishment, in particular concerning the annulment of the 2024 presidential election, while offering limited concrete policy proposals.

Centrist independent candidate Nicu?or Dan won Romania’s second round presidential elections 18 on May 2025with 53.60% of the vote, defeating far-right opponent George Simion, who obtained 46.40%. Although Simion led by nearly 2 million votes in the first round, Dan managed to reverse the outcome by mobilizing strong support, primarily in urban areas, in regions with a majority Hungarian population, and among undecided, pro-European voters. In contrast, Simion enjoyed consistent backing from the diaspora, predominantly in rural areas and small towns, especially in the eastern and southern regions of Romania. Although he secured 55.86% of the votes cast abroad, this advantage was not sufficient to win the presidency.

Simion’s campaign was marked by populist rhetoric and aggressive attacks against the European Union, Ukraine, and France. He pledged to appoint Calin Georgescu—a figure associated with pro-Russian positions—as prime minister, and consistently echoed themes specific to the MAGA movement, aligning himself obediently with Donald Trump, but without clarifying how he would actually develop the relationship with the United States. His inflammatory statements, accusations of foreign interference, and threats of protests amid claims of electoral fraud fueled fears of potential destabilization. Meanwhile, Nicu?or Dan avoided alliances with traditional parties, opting instead for a campaign focused on transparency, democratic values, and reaffirming Romania’s commitment to the EU and NATO.

Campaigns can be financed by political parties, including from public funds, as well as by candidates’ own resources, loans, and individual donations. Campaign finance regulations, which also apply to online activities, are limited to the official 30-day campaign period. Nevertheless, several candidates incurred advertising expenses prior to this period, including on social networks.

The media landscape is diverse; however, there is a lack of transparency concerning the financing of media by political entities and individuals, s, which some assessed as undermining editorial independence and facilitating clientelism and self-censorship. Broadcasters are required to ensure fair, balanced, and impartial campaign coverage, and provide equal and free access to airtime for all presidential candidates.

The President of Romania, Nicu?or Dan, had a meeting with the leaders of the Governing Coalition on September 23, 2025, at Cotroceni Palace, during which he mediated a dialogue necessary to consolidate the country's political and economic stability. The leaders of the ruling parties committed to managing differences of opinion through dialogue and responsibility, in the public interest. The President of Romania reaffirmed the support of the presidential institution for essential reforms in all social areas, reforms expected by citizens and assumed by the current parliamentary majority. The governing coalition will continue its activity in its current formula, with the clear objective of implementing the measures provided for in the governing program for which it received the confidence of Parliament.