Exit polls presidential runoff at 9 p.m.: Nicusor Dan – 54%, George Simion – 45%

According to the official exit polls after the closing of the voting for the presidential elections, Nicușor Dan leads by a wide margin with 54.9%, George Simion at 45.1%.

Avangarde exit poll:

Nicușor Dan: 54.9%

George Simion: 45.1%

CURS exit poll:

Nicușor Dan: 54.1%

George Simion: 45.9%

The results presented by exit polls at 9:00 p.m. present estimates valid for 7:00 p.m. and do not include data from the diaspora.

In the first round, George Simion was given first place by the Avangarde (31%) and CURS (33%) exit polls and by the Inscop telephone poll (36%).

After the official vote count, George Simion obtained almost 41%.

Also, Avangarde gave Nicușor Dan and Crin Antonescu a tie for 2nd place, and Inscop and CURS gave Crin Antonescu 2nd place.

In the end, Nicușor Dan ranked 2nd.

According to the Central Electoral Bureau, in the second round, exit polls will be conducted at the national level by: AVANGARDE Socio-Behavioral Studies Group; the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology – CURS and ARA Public Opinion.

First statements of the candidates

Nicusor Dan: “Elections are not about politicians, but about communities. Today, a community of Romanians who want a profound change won, a community that wants to reduce corruption, a community that wants a dialogue, not a message of hate. I want to thank my supporters. There is also a community that is outraged, that believes that the solution at this moment in Romania is revolution. There are not two Romanias, we must fight for one Romania. We are living a moment of hope. But please be patient for the period to come. A difficult period is coming, in order to lay the foundations of a healthy society. I want to assure all of you, both those who voted for me and those who did not vote for me, that I will do everything in my power so that the Romanian state finally serves the citizens of this country. Starting tomorrow, all of us, together, must begin the reconstruction of Romania.”\

On both sides of Elisabeta Boulevard, from University Square to Cismigiu Park, many Bucharesters have started to arrive. Even though both candidates have claimed victory, hundreds of Bucharesters have started to arrive at Nicușor Dan’s campaign headquarters. They are chanting “Europe” and “Nicușor”. They are encouraged by the fact that two exit polls have given the independent pro-European candidate the win.

George Simion claims victory although exit polls show him 10% behind Nicusor Dan: “Please let the Romanians who are in line to democratically exercise their right to vote. We are the clear winners of these elections. We claim victory in the name of the Romanian people. The parallel count will ensure the identification of any potential fraud. We thank the institutions for their professionalism and impartiality. I thank the Romanians in the diaspora who traveled hundreds of kilometers to be with the country. Thank you! All eyes are now on us. The most important are the people in the polling stations. There were polls and so-called exit polls, we saw them in the first round, I ask all members of the polling stations not to admit any electoral fraud, this is the spirit of democracy, no electoral fraud, neither against me nor against my competitor. Brothers and sisters in the polling stations, we pray for you to be strong and to resist until the end of the count. Do not sign the minutes if you find any irregularities. Today we saw an extraordinary mobilization. Romanians came to vote not only with their stamp, but also with their souls. I thank all those who stood in line, who defended each vote. It was a day of national courage, in which we began to regain our democracy and due respect. I want to thank every Romanian. I thank you, parent or grandparent, we are your revenge, of the one who left us a rich country, without debts. We will rebuild our Romania and you will finally feel the respect you deserve from society.”