Romania’s far-right leader George Simion concedes defeat, congratulates Nicușor Dan on presidential win

 

Romania’s far-right leader George Simion concedes defeat, congratulates Nicușor Dan on presidential win

 

19 May 2025

Irina Marica

https://www.romania-insider.com/george-simion-defeat-presidential-runoff-romania-2025

 

George Simion, leader of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), conceded defeat on Sunday night and congratulated Bucharest mayor and pro-EU independent candidate Nicușor Dan for winning the presidential election. In a pre-recorded video posted on Facebook, Simion acknowledged the will of the Romanian people and thanked the more than five million voters who supported him in the second round.

 

Official results showed Nicușor Dan winning 53.60% of the votes in the presidential runoff, while his opponent, the hard-right leader George Simion won 46.40%. This marked a dramatic reversal from the first round, where Simion had led by a significant margin.

 

"I want to congratulate my opponent, Nicușor Dan. He has won the election. This was the will of the Romanian people," Simion said. "I want to thank the over five million Romanians who placed their trust in me. I will not disappoint you. There is nothing more valuable to me than your trust."

 

In the same message, George Simion also emphasized that his political movement would continue. "We were alone against an entire system, alone against everyone. I am proud of you, and I hope I represented you with honor," he stated, adding that "it is difficult to feel the bitter taste of defeat."

 

He also reaffirmed his commitment to what he called the core values of his campaign: justice, truth, the traditional family, Christian faith, and freedom. "We will remain an important and meaningful part of Romanian society. Please, do not give up. We will go all the way, even if the taste of defeat is hard to bear. Romania and the Romanian people must come first."

 

In the first statement after the first exit polls were released, but before the final results, Simion had claimed victory in the presidential runoff. "We are the clear winners of these elections. We claim victory on behalf of the Romanian people," he said right after the voting process ended.

 

Turnout in the second round exceeded 11.64 million voters, representing 64.72% of the electorate.