Romanian hard-right frontrunner Simion leads opinion poll before vote run-off

George Simion (left) and Nicusor Dan (right) attend a meeting of the National Union Bloc in Bucharest, Romania, May 7 2025. Inquam Photos/Malina Norocea via REUTERS

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's hard-right presidential frontrunner George Simion will win the May 18 run-off vote against centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, an opinion survey showed on Wednesday, as the two clashed over worldviews and deficits in a debate.

The eurosceptic Simion decisively swept the first round of the ballot on Sunday, with some 41% of votes, triggering the resignation of leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the collapse of the pro-Western coalition government.