A pro-European Union centrist pulled off an upset in Romania’s presidential election, beating out a hard-right nationalist who had channeled people’s anger at the political establishment to surge in the polls.

There was a wave of euphoria and relief across Europe following the election of pro-European liberal Nicusor Dan as Romania’s new president. Moldovan President Maia Sandu echoed the sentiment: “Congratulations,

Long before he entered politics, he was recognised as a math prodigy, winning two consecutive gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Pro-European Union candidate Nicusor Dan has won Romania’s closely watched presidential runoff against a hard-right nationalist, nearly complete electoral data shows. A huge turnout Sunday played a key role in the tense election that many viewed as a geopolitical choice between East or West.

But Romania's growth has steadily slowed since a post-pandemic bounce in 2021, and the European Commission forecasts its budget deficit at 8.6% this year and 8.4% in 2026, well above the government's 7% 2025 target outlined in a seven-year EU-approved plan.

BUCHAREST, Romania — The pro-European Union candidate in Romania’s tense presidential runoff has taken a lead in the polls, preliminary electoral data shows, in a closely watched vote against a hard-right nationalist that could determine the geopolitical direction of the NATO member country.

A pro-European centrist has won Romania’s presidential election in a race seen as a key test of the country’s democratic direction

Romanian centrist Nicusor Dan may have defied the odds to win the presidency, but now he faces an even more daunting task: forming a government that can implement years of painful austerity - and revenue-raising measures - to tame Europe's widest fiscal deficit.

By Iulian Ernst in Bucharest Romanian financial markets reacted positively on May 19 to the outcome of the country’s presidential election, reflecting renewed investor confidence in political stability and expectations of fiscal normalisation.