Romanian top court clears main presidential candidates, including far-right leader George Simion
Romania’s Constitutional Court (CCR) cleared the main candidacies for president of Romania, including that of far-right politician and leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) George Simion. Former Social Democratic Party…
Radu Dumitrescu · Journalist
· Updated · 4 min read
Romania’s Constitutional Court (CCR) cleared the main candidacies for president of Romania, including that of far-right politician and leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) George Simion. Former Social Democratic Party (PSD) prime minister Victor Ponta, now an independent, Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, also an independent, and the ruling coalition candidate Crin Antonescu have also been approved by the top court, which rejected all challenges against them.
The candidacy of Elena Lasconi, the leader of reformist party USR, has also been validated by the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC).
The approvals come after the CCR rejected what polls said was the first-placed politician in the race, ultranationalist independent politician Calin Georgescu. The presidential bid of Diana Sosoaca, the leader of far-right party SOS Romania, has also been invalidated by the BEC, and she appealed the decision to CCR.
Romania holds presidential elections on May 4, followed by a run-off on May 18.
The main candidates
George Simion, who is allegedly backed by the popular pro-Russian politician Calin Georgescu, saluted CCR’s decision over the weekend. "Today, a step forward was taken towards returning to democracy.[...] But the hard work is just beginning!" he said.
Simion is positioned to win the first round with around 30% of votes, according to anew AtlasIntel poll, after securing around 14% in 2024. In the same election, Georgescu gathered 23% of votes. Simion's current support, therefore, is lower than the two previous scores combined.
Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan is poised to come in second, qualifying for the run-off round with 26% of votes, according to the survey. Dan, also an independent, is campaigning as a centrist bent on reform. He also promised to maintain Romania's pro-EU and pro-NATO orientation.
He is followed by Crin Antonescu, the candidate backed by the Social Democratic-National Liberal-Hungarian minority party alliance in the government, with around 18% of votes. A seasoned politician and debater, Antonescu also promised to keep Romania aligned with Western values.
Victor Ponta (9%) and Elena Lasconi (3.9%) have lower levels of support. Lasconi qualified for the second round in the 2024 elections.
