Sarah Rainesford
Eastern Europe correspondent
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Imagine having a president called Nicky.
That’s what the Romanians just voted for: a softly spoken, slightly gross mathematician who everyone mentions in his name, Knicker, or Nicky.
On Monday, hours after claiming victory in the election, the new president welcomed his daughter from school as usual. He promised the children that nothing would change.
However, this morning looked very different to Romania.
Voting for change
Nixor Dunn has been mayor of Bucharest since 2020, but up until now, little has been known beyond the capital. That is why his election is widely viewed as an act of protest against the old political security forces that have ruled Romania for over 30 years.
But it was not the most extreme option for change either.
Dan’s opponent in the second round of votes was right nationalist and eurosceptic George Simion, who regularly handed out public insults.
He also claims that parts of Ukraine and Moldova all belong to Romania, which is why it is banned from two neighboring countries.
Simion won the first round with 41% of the vote, but Dan caught up with the second and took over.
“This time, fear has managed to beat anger,” explains the change, pointing to a significant increase in voter turnout.
“Obviously a lot of people are angry in Romania and want to see radical change. But at the same time, we saw a massive mobilization of urban middle class people who are afraid that the country will be taken behind.
“If Simion and his friends were in power, they were afraid of what would happen.”
“Romania First” rhetoric was lacking
I recently met many Simion supporters.
When he showed up to vote on Sunday, there was a colorful crowd there at the polling station to greet him. Some wore embroidered national dresses, while others brought Romanian flags.
They tended to talk about “traditional values” that God and Simion think represent. Two men told me their priorities were to prevent the EU from “imposed” same-sex marriage in Romania.
Other voters are drawn to Simion’s “Romanian First” rhetoric and the promise of a better life.
“Nothing has been done for us, workers. I’m tired of it,” Liliana told me this week from behind a food stall in the Bucharest market where apples were stacked.
She and her husband voted for Simion, thinking he was “not so corrupt.”
So when the results came in, she was disappointed.
“I don’t think Dan can run through the country, but what can we do if people don’t want change or progress?” Liliana shrugged.
“I think the kids went back to the village and convinced their parents against Simion. They scared them and voted for Dan.”
George Simion says he is “a man of my people and represents change.”
A costly mistake
George Simion himself told me that he was a patriot and “man of my people.” But as the campaign progressed, he made a mistake.
Outside the market, pigeons fed the kids, Diana said she was planning to vote for Simion until she watched the video from Paris just before the election.
Simion explained that President Macron had a “dictatorial tendency” in an attempt to speak French, saying the country is run by “Ayatollahs.”
“It wasn’t okay to do that and go there and talk very rudely with the French people,” Diana thinks. “It made me change my vote.”
Analyst Radu Magdin finds other errors, such as aggressive blog posts and the moment when Simion humiliated his rival Dan and called him “autistic, poor man.”
“Otherwise, he appears to be running away from public debate, instead shaking his hands with radical Pan-European rights,” Magdin said, referring to meetings in Poland, France and Italy just before the vote.
“I think there were a lot of people who didn’t really appreciate that.”
Watch: Nixondan, Romanian presidential election supporter, celebrates his victory
Russia’s rebellion
For many Romanians, choosing Dan was also a strike against Moscow’s interference.
At the same time as last night’s election celebration, people not only yelled the name and cheer of the new president, but people chanted their rebellion. “Russia, don’t forget! Romania is not yours!”
They mention evidence of Russia’s interference in the election in November, raising the possibility of far-right conspiracy theorist Karin Georgek.
The vote was voided when he came from anywhere to win the first round.
This weekend was rerun, Georjuk was banned in his place, and Simion was there. The two were often seen side-by-side, even on voting day.
But Georjuk’s open sympathy for Russia — he said he once praised Vladimir Putin — was a turn-off for many voters.
European choice
Nicole Dunn didn’t just win because he wasn’t Simion.
His voters preferred what he supported, including his future within Europe.
Last night, many brought the EU flag as thousands waited to surround his campaign headquarters and claim victory. There was a sense of security and excitement.
Before the election, young voters said they were planning radical action if Simion wins.
“Many of our friends say they’re leaving Romania because our values don’t match him at all,” political alumni Sergiana told me in central Bucharest. “I feel that within a year or two he will completely ruin his chances of staying in the EU.”
In contrast, Dan placed his ties with Europe at the heart of his campaign.
“It’s better for the European way, the younger people, Romania to get more EU funding, more development,” approved another young voter, Petrosanu.
“Nixon is also the smartest man since the revolution. He knows how to do things.”
Last chance
Ultimately, Dan’s victory was highlighted. But millions of Romanian voters chose different ways, different values. While there is high hopes for “change” candidates, the challenges are big and patience may be limited.
“In my view, this is the last chance for the mainstream political class to win elections on a platform that “sales Europe and saves democracy,” warns Radu Magdin.
George Simion is only 38 years old and has nowhere to go. His nationalist AUR party is strong in Parliament.
“Next time, if these people don’t do their job, it’s ‘goodbye’,” the analyst says. “Next time I might be someone like Simion.”
