A mathematical genius, a pragmatist and a pro-European: Bucharest mayor Nicăușor Dan becomes president of Romania. The mathematics professor is a non-partisan reformer and is considered uncorrupt.
The run-off in Romania was surprisingly calm – to the delight of the pro-European camp, notes the German public broadcaster ARD in a publication presenting the winner of the vote. The non-partisan liberal reformer Nicăușor Dan won 54 percent and about 850,000 votes more than his rival – the pro-Russian far-right candidate Gheorghe Simion.
The key to the success was the huge voter turnout. During the first round, it was 53 percent, and in the second round it reached 65%. Apparently, many decided at the last minute to go to the polls, after Simion's result was better in the first round. And this prevented the scenario according to which Romania could have dawned with a radical right-wing president, writes ARD.
A professor of mathematics full of pragmatism
The future Romanian head of state Dan is a professor of mathematics. He is even described as a mathematical genius: as a young man, he won two gold medals for Romania at the International Mathematical Olympiad.
His campaign associates say that he behaves like a typical mathematician - extremely pragmatic. Unfortunately for his team, Dan, for example, refused many appearances on social media because, in his opinion, they would not bring any immediate benefits.
In the end, Nikusor Dan won and made the following television statement: "I would like to thank the tens of thousands of Romanians who have fought for our idea in recent weeks. They proved the power of civil society. These powers are much greater than the alienation in the country".
Runoff between two protest candidates
In Romania, many have indeed become alienated from politics, points out ARD. Both the right-wing radical George Simion and the non-partisan reformer Nikusor Dan were protest candidates.
The presidential candidate of the grand ruling coalition, Crin Antonescu, failed in the first round. In early May, the coalition collapsed, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu resigned. The government became increasingly unpopular and was accused of corruption.
ARD recalls that Romania is in third place in terms of corruption in the EU, after Hungary and Bulgaria. In the election campaign, Dan emphasized that he would like to change this, and many believed him. Because unlike many other Romanian politicians, he has not been accused of corruption.
"Today's election was won by this community of Romanians who want profound change. A community that wants a functioning administration, a country with less corruption and a prosperous economy for Romanian citizens," Dan said in his victory speech.
Who will be tasked with forming a government?
One of President Dan's first tasks will be to find a new prime minister and task him with forming a government. At the moment, however, it is not at all clear what kind of government Dan will be able to cooperate with, since the reformist forces do not have a majority in the Romanian parliament.
Dan would also like to attract the five million voters of the radical right presidential candidate Simion. "This is a community that is so outraged that it believes that the solution for Romania is a revolution. Our duty is to convince these people that the solution for Romania is a reform of the judiciary and the administration. Achieving a balance in the economy will be difficult – I ask for hope and patience", ARD quotes him as saying.
Simion would be inconvenient for the EU
The defeated candidate in the presidential election – 38-year-old head of the Alliance for the Unification of Romanians party Gheorghe Simion admitted his defeat in a video recording, simultaneously stating: "It is time to continue our fight for justice and truth, for the traditional family, for the Christian faith and for freedom".
As president, he would probably be quite inconvenient for the EU, ARD notes. Simion wanted to oppose the EC and fight for more of a nation-state. He is against military support for Ukraine, has nationalist views and dreams of a "Greater Romania", for example through unification with Moldova.
With Nikusor Dan, however, the direction is different. He is a convinced European.