Romanians delivered a resounding anti-establishment message in the first round of the country’s presidential election rerun, propelling hard-right leader George Simion and Bucharest’s independent centrist mayor Nicusor Dan to a high-stakes runoff to be held on May 18.

George Simion, leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, emerged as the clear frontrunner in Romania ’s presidential election redo, securing 40.5 per cent of the vote with nearly all ballots counted. The vote followed last year’s annulled election marred by allegations of fraud.

A George Simion victory could isolate Romania, erode private investment and destabilise NATO's eastern flank, where Ukraine is fighting a three-year-old Russian invasion, political observers say.