MAGA misses the mark in Romania
A liberal wins the presidential race
NICUSOR DAN’S victory in Romania’s presidential election on May 18th afforded the country’s liberals a rare moment of joy. Mr Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, is a French-trained mathematician known for fighting corruption. His rival, George Simion, a MAGA-friendly nationalist, had been favoured to win after taking 41% of the vote in the election’s first round to Mr Dan’s 21%. Mr Simion had cosied up to Hungary’s Viktor Orban; denounced Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission; and pledged to end aid to Ukraine. Romania seemed poised to join the club of countries that are driving a populist wedge into the European Union.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “MAGA misses the mark”
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