Exit polls show that Dan was leading with 54.9 percent of Sunday’s vote, beating out the nationalist George Simion at 45.1 percent, according to Politico. Simion rejected the exit poll upon its release, saying that he had 400,000 more votes than Dan.
The election re-run was triggered by the cancellation of the original November vote, which was nullified by the country’s top court. That decision came after allegations of electoral fraud and Russian interference in favor of right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu, who had led first-round polling. Moscow has denied the accusations. Georgescu was barred from standing again.
Sunday’s turnout was significantly higher than in the previous round, and officials say it could be a deciding factor in the final result.
Simion cast his ballot in Bucharest, where he appeared alongside Georgescu. Speaking to reporters, he said, “We voted against abuses and against poverty. I voted for our future to be decided only by Romanians, for Romanians and Romania. So help us God!”
He added, “We voted against the humiliations to which our sisters and brothers have been subjected.”
