Presidential runoff starts in Romania

BUCHAREST, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Romanian voters started casting ballots on Sunday in a decisive presidential runoff which pits George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, against Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest.

The election marks the second round of a rerun after the 2024 presidential results were annulled due to allegations of irregular campaigning practices and foreign interference. Simion, 38, won the first round earlier this month with 40.96 percent of the vote, ahead of Dan's 20.99 percent, which reflects growing public frustration with Romania's political establishment.

Simion, a vocal critic of the European Union, has pledged to halt military aid to Ukraine and advance a "Romania First" agenda, including tax cuts and deregulation.

Dan, 55, is campaigning on a pro-European platform and has framed the runoff as a choice between continued Western integration and political isolation. He has since received endorsements from the Save Romania Union and the National Liberal Party. The Social Democrats, Romania's largest party, has not endorsed either candidate.

The fallout from the first round led to the resignation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the collapse of the ruling coalition, adding further weight to Sunday's vote.

Under Romania's constitution, the president holds significant powers in foreign policy, defense and judiciary, including the nomination of the prime minister.

According to Romania's Permanent Electoral Authority, over 18 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots at 18,979 polling stations across the country. Romanian citizens abroad can vote at 965 polling stations in other countries.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) and will close at 9 p.m. (1800 GMT), with preliminary results expected late Sunday night or early Monday. Enditem