As Romania prepares for the second round of its re-run presidential election, pro-European Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan is mounting a challenge to beat his nationalist opponent George Simion, who overwhelmingly won the election’s first round last Sunday.
A poll commissioned by Nicusor Dan put Simion favorite with 54.8% to Dan’s 45.2%. Simion won 41% in the first round of elections in a field of 11 while Dan pipped the government candidate in a tight contests to win 21%.
Dan says he is strongly pro-European, but not to the detriment of good relations with Donald Trump’s administration in Washington, Euronews reported.
“I want Romania to maintain its pro-Western direction,” Dan told the network. “which means pro-European, for Romania to be active in the European Union. On the other hand, I want to preserve the strategic partnership Romania has with the United States, which is very important, especially in the security area.”
He said Romania needed to be pragmatic with Trump and needed U.S. troops to bolster its security.
“Romania has a strategic partnership with the US that I want to see continued and expanded. I would like a greater presence of American companies in Romania,” he pointed out.
“And I would obviously like a retention of American troops in Romania, which is an additional security guarantee for Romania,” he told Euronews.
