Hungarian Minority Thwarts Far-Right Candidate’s Plans

The second round of Romania’s presidential election was won by Nicusor Dan, running as an independent, who dramatically overturned the balance of power established after the first round. According to Matyas Szilagyi, lead researcher at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs and former ambassador, the decisive factors were the large-scale mobilization across the country and the disciplined and unified voting of the Hungarian minority in Romania.

George Simion (Photo: AFP)

The second round of Romania’s presidential election brought a surprise: Nicusor Dan, the independent mayor of Bucharest, defeated the right-wing George Simion with 53.6% of the vote. Voter turnout was exceptionally high at 64.72% – a level of mobilization not seen in the country in over thirty years.

In the second round of the Romanian presidential elections on May 18, Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan (independent) defeated George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun/AFP Yumiko Kurashige)

The power ranking changed radically compared to the first round,

said Matyas Szilagyi . He attributed this shift to extraordinary mobilization efforts.

The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ/UDMR) also mobilized its voters with strong determination. Compared to the first round, about 200,000 more Hungarians voted in the second round, totaling approximately 600,000 Hungarian voters participating in the election.

Matyas Szilagyi (Photo: Hungarian Institute of International Affairs)

According to the expert, the key rallying point for Hungarian parties was Simion's extreme xenophobia and anti-Hungarian stance, which posed a threat to national minority rights.

This message unified the Hungarian voter base, and as electoral geography shows, voters in Hungarian-majority counties overwhelmingly supported Nicușor Dan. Hungarian voters in Romania followed the guidance of their representative organizations in a very disciplined manner.

Szilagyi noted that the record turnout was due to massive mobilization, further intensified by the economic shock experienced in the financial markets after the first round. Romania’s financial and banking sectors had factored in the risk of a far-right candidate’s victory, which influenced the political atmosphere and caused alarm.

Moreover, both the Social Democrat and Liberal voting bases supported the more moderate Nicusor Dan. In the diaspora, Simion again won, though by a smaller margin than in the first round.

In total, over two million more people voted in the second round than in the first.

What Does Nicusor Dan's Victory Mean for the Hungarian Community?

Considering the strong turnout for him by the Hungarian community, Szilagyi emphasized that this will likely influence Dan’s political approach.

Nicusor Dan is a mathematician with an intellectual background from Transylvania. He is a politician with neoliberal views and is the mayor of Bucharest. He is a founding member of the Save Romania Union (USR), the fourth-largest parliamentary party, although he later left the party due to disagreements with its increasingly radical liberal direction.

Romanian presidential candidate Nicusor Dan speaks to supporters after the announcement of the exit poll results in Bucharest, May 18, 2025 (Photo: AFP/Daniel Mihailescu)

The roughly 600,000 ethnic Hungarian voters were a significant factor and arguably tipped the scales in this election. This played a substantial role in Nicusor Dan’s victory, and he appears to be a moderate and willing partner with regard to Hungarian minority interests.

The expert also pointed out that Dan has no known history of anti-Hungarian statements and has participated in several Hungarian cultural events. 

A major question remains regarding government formation. Dan’s current voter base consists of former Social Democrats, the RMDSZ, and the Save Romania Union (USR), so it is highly likely that the next Romanian coalition government will be built on these factions,

Matyas Szilagyi concluded.

Cover photo: George Simion (Photo: AFP)