Romania braces for crossroads presidential runoff viewed as a choice between East or West

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — As Romania braces for a high-stakes presidential runoff this weekend between two starkly different candidates, 25-year-old medical resident Alexandra Bejinariu is anxious about which direction her European Union nation will choose in the closely watched vote.

Like many voters, the young medic views Sunday’s ballot between hard-right nationalist frontrunner George Simion and pro-Western reformist and incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan as a choice for the country's geopolitical future.

It's a choice between “East or West,” she told The Associated Press in Bucharest. “It has divided my family, my relatives, my friends,” she said.

Romania is gripped by a deep political crisis after a top court voided the previous election in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped the first round, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied.

Deep societal divisions have been exposed during Romania’s chaotic election cycle, and Bejinariu said she fears that a Simion presidency would undermine Romania’s long-standing Western alliances. “I think it’s a big risk,” she said.

“It has to change, but I don’t know in what direction it will change," she added. “I hope that our future will be good … it really gives me anxiety this election.”

After coming fourth in last year’s canceled race, Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, backed Georgescu who was banned in March from standing in the redo. Simion then surged to frontrunner in the May 4 rerun after becoming the standard-bearer for the hard right.

Years of endemic corruption and growing anger toward Romania’s political establishment has fueled a surge in support for nationalist figures, reflecting a broader pattern seen across Europe.

The AUR party says it stand for “family, nation, faith, and freedom" and rose to prominence in a 2020 parliamentary election. It has since grown to become the second-largest party in the Romanian legislature.

To his critics, Simion is a pro-Russian extremist who threatens Romania’s longstanding alliances in the European Union and NATO. But in an AP interview last week, he rejected the accusations, saying Russia is his country's biggest threat, and that he wants Romania to be treated as “equal partners” in Brussels.

“Some fake news were saying that we want to exit the European project," he said. "Tough luck."

Most recent local surveys indicate the runoff has narrowed to a near tie, after earlier ones showed Simion holding a lead over Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician who rose to prominence as a civic activist fighting against illegal real estate projects.

Dan founded the reformist Save Romania Union party in 2016 but later left, and is running independently on a pro-EU ticket, reaffirming Western ties, support for Ukraine, and fiscal reform. At a rally in Bucharest on Sunday, he also addressed the growing tensions.

“How did it come to this, that in a country with hardworking, decent people, there is so much hatred and division, that families and circles of friends are torn apart over political opinions,” he said. “We need to project hope.”

Simion, also a former activist who campaigned for reunification with neighboring Moldova, says he would focus on reforms: slashing red tape, reducing bureaucracy and taxes. But he insists that his main goal is to restore democracy. “My platform is to return to democracy, to the will of the people,” he said.

The presidential role carries a five-year term and significant decision-making powers in national security and foreign policy. Voting stations set up in other countries opened on Friday.

Siegfried Muresan, a Romanian member of the European Parliament, told the AP that Sunday's vote is the first election since communism ended in which Romania’s geopolitical orientation is at stake.

“The election is about choosing between the European model, the European way of life, which is based on democracy, freedom of expression, freedom of press, rule of law, development, unity, solidarity," he said. "And the Russian model, which is the exact opposite — it’s more than just the presidential election.”

In a local televised debate last week, Simion railed against EU officials whom he called the “globalists in Brussels,” and voiced admiration for Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a longtime critic of the 27-nation bloc.

“That is precisely why many of his positions, not all … will be state policy in Romania,” said Simion, who opposes further military aid to neighboring Ukraine or sending troops from NATO countries to protect any peace agreements, fearing escalation.

Simion's activities in Moldova led to allegations he was trying to destabilize the country and a ban on his entry there. He is also banned from entering Ukraine for “systemic anti-Ukrainian” activities.

Moldova's pro-Western President Maia Sandu posted a public message this week in support of Dan, saying Moldovans understand the value of being "part of the European family,” and urged Moldovans with dual Romanian citizenship to vote to ”protect what Romania has already achieved, but which is now under threat."

Hours after voting opened on Friday, Simion accused the Moldovan government of election fraud, claims that were quickly rejected by Moldovan and Romanian authorities. “These statements are intended to sow distrust and hostility, with the aim of influencing the election process,” Romania's foreign ministry said in a statement.

In the first round on May 4, Simion won a massive 61% of Romania’s large diaspora vote, with his calls to patriotism resonating with Romanians who moved abroad in search of better opportunities.

Claudiu Tufis, an associate professor of political science at the University of Bucharest, says Sunday's result will likely boil down to turnout, which is often higher in the second round vote. “Turnout will be the key," he said. He added that Simion lacks adequate experience for high office and fears he would quickly target civil society organizations.

“That is a significant problem,” he said. “What is driving him is his focus on identity politics. He has absolutely no experience when it comes to foreign policy ... economy, and no experience when it comes to public administration."

For energy sector worker Rares Ghiorghies, 36, Simion represents a new form of patriotic conservatism that he feels is needed to overhaul an outdated political class.

“I think about freedom, dignity, equal rights for everyone, prosperity, and healthy principles, not what we have now: manipulation, censorship, and incompetence in everything related to the state system,” he said.

“We need a role model, a patriot who knows that you can achieve more with your heart than with your brain,” Ghiorghies said.

Tensions in society are being further amplified online, where networks of coordinated disinformation have emerged as a pervasive force through the entire election cycle.

Cyabra, an AI-powered platform that studies online influence campaigns, analyzed hundreds of comments on both candidates’ official X accounts after the first round, and concluded that a large percentage came from fake accounts.

Those posts reached a peak on the day of the election and the day after in what appeared to be a synchronized campaign, the group said, with most of them criticizing Dan using rhetoric such as “foreign puppet," or praising Simion with slogans such as “Well done, Romania!”

Andrei Grajdeanu, a 34-year-old dental technician, says he feels Romanians were long divided but that social media has exposed the division.

“I think everybody needs to go to the vote to express their opinion, and that’s it," he said. "Don’t fight with family, friends, or each other."

FILE - Children play under an European Union flag during an electoral rally of presidential candidate Nicusor Dan, a week ahead of the second round of the country's presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)

FILE - Demonstrators hold large Romanian and European Union flags during a pro-EU rally ahead of the second round of the presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)

FILE - Presidential candidates Nicusor Dan, left, and George Simion take a break during a live electoral debate ahead of the second round of the country's presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday night, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

FILE - Presidential candidate George Simion gestures during a live electoral debate with presidential candidate Nicusor Dan ahead of the second round of the country's presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)

FILE - Presidential candidate Nicusor Dan holds a press conference the day after making it into the round of the country's presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)