As Romania heads into a critical presidential runoff on Sunday between two starkly different candidates, many view the final vote as a geopolitical choice between East or West

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.

Romania braces for a high-stakes presidential runoff this weekend between two starkly different candidates: hard-right nationalist frontrunner George Simion, and pro-Western reformist and incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan,