Far right candidate leads Romania's presidential election rerun: exit polls

BUCHAREST -- Exit polls showed that George Simion, chairman of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, took the lead in the first round of the Romanian presidential election rerun on Sunday.

According to the exit polls conducted by the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology (CURS), Simion garnered 33.1 percent of the vote, followed by Crin Antonescu of the electoral alliance Romania Forward with 22.9 percent and Mayor of Bucharest Nicusor Dan, an independent candidate, with 20.9 percent.

In another exit poll carried out by the AVANGARDE Socio-Behavioral Studies Group, Simion secured 30 percent of the vote while Antonescu and Dan both had 23 percent.

According to the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania, over 18 million voters registered for this election. Romania's president serves a five-year term, with a maximum of two consecutive terms allowed.

Under the Romanian Constitution, if no candidate secures an outright majority in the first round, a runoff will be held between the top two contenders in two weeks.

Romania's presidential election held last November was annulled following allegations of irregular campaigning practices and foreign interference.