Right-wing nationalist candidate wins first round of voting in Romania's Presidential election
The 38-year-old leader of the Alliance for the Unity Romanian party earned 40.5% of the vote yesterday. Bucharest's mayor Nicusor Dan and the coalition's joint candidate Crin Antonescu were trailing with 20.9% and 20.3% respectively.
Antonescu conceded defeat, saying he believes it is an 'irreversible result'. Eleven candidates vied for the presidency and a runoff will be held on 18 May between the top two candidates.
By the time polls closed last night, about 9.57 million people — or 53.2% of eligible voters — had cast their ballots, according to the Central Election Bureau, with 973,000 votes cast at polling stations set up in other countries.
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The rerun was held after a top court voided the previous election in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped the first round, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied.
In a pre-recorded speech aired after polls closed, Simion said that despite many obstacles, Romanians 'have risen up' and 'we are approaching an exceptional result.'
'I am here to restore constitutional order,' said Simion, who came fourth in last year's race and later backed Georgescu.
'I want democracy, I want normalcy, and I have a single objective: to give back to the Romanian people what was taken from them and to place at the centre of decision-making the ordinary, honest, dignified people.'
The presidential role carries a five-year term and significant decision-making powers in national security and foreign policy.
The decision to annul the election and the ban on Georgescu's candidacy drew criticism from US vice president JD Vance, Elon Musk and Russia, which publicly supported his candidacy in the rerun.
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RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
What deal might emerge from the Trump-Putin summit?
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss a possible deal to end the war in Ukraine when they meet on Friday in Alaska for a summit that is also likely to affect wider European security. European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plan to speak with Mr Trump tomorrow amid fears that Washington, hitherto Ukraine's leading arms supplier, may seek to dictate unfavourable peace terms to Kyiv. What kind of deal could emerge from summit? Mr Trump said last Friday that there would be "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both". This prompted consternation in Kyiv and European capitals that Russia could be rewarded for 11 years of efforts - the last three in full-blown war - to seize Ukrainian land. It occupies about 19% of Ukraine. Ukraine controls no Russian territory. "It's a reasonable concern to think that Trump will be bamboozled by Putin and cut a terrible deal at Ukraine's expense," said Daniel Fried, a former senior US diplomat now with the Atlantic Council think-tank. But "better outcomes" for Ukraine were possible if Mr Trump and his team "wake up to the fact that Putin is still playing them". One could entail agreeing an "armistice line" instead of a transfer of territory, with only de facto - not legal - recognition of Russia's current gains. Any sustainable peace deal would also have to tackle such issues as future security guarantees for Ukraine, its aspirations to join NATO, the restrictions demanded by Moscow on the size of its military, and the future of Western sanctions on Russia. Mr Trump has not commented on those issues since announcing the summit with Mr Putin, though his administration has said Ukraine cannot join NATO. Diplomats say there is an outside possibility that Mr Trump might instead strike a unilateral deal with Mr Putin, prioritising lucrative energy contracts and potential arms control accords. Mr Trump himself has said he might conclude in Alaska that a Ukraine peace deal cannot be done. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the possibility of Mr Trump clinching a unilateral deal with Mr Putin. What if Ukraine objects to any Trump-Putin deal? Mr Trump would face strong resistance from Mr Zelensky and his European allies if any deal expected Ukraine to cede territory. Mr Zelensky says Ukraine's constitution prohibits such an outcome unless there is a referendum to change it. Mr Trump could try to coerce Kyiv to accept such a deal by threatening to stop arms supplies and intelligence sharing. But analysts say there is more chance Ukraine might accept a freezing of battlelines and an unstable, legally non-binding partition. One European official told Reuters that, even if Mr Trump did renege on recent promises to resume arms supplies to Ukraine, he was likely to continue allowing Europe to buy US weapons on Ukraine's behalf. "The loss of US intelligence capabilities would be the hardest element to replace. Europe can't even come close to providing that support," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. How might a deal affect Trump's support at home? There would be big political risks in the US for Mr Trump in abandoning Ukraine, said John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Kyiv, now with the Atlantic Council. This would portray him as "an accomplice" in Putin's attack on Ukraine. "I don't think Trump wants to be seen that way, for sure," he said. Despite his strong political position at home, Mr Trump would also come under fire even from parts of the American right if he were to be seen as caving in to Russia. "To reward Putin ... would be to send the exact opposite message that we must be sending to dictators, and would-be-dictators, across the globe," Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican lawmaker and former FBI agent, said on X last week. How might Ukraine's European allies respond? EU member states have said that Ukraine must be free to decide its own future and that they were ready to contribute further to security guarantees for Kyiv. Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokesperson now with the RUSI think-tank, said European states must move much faster to arm Ukraine, and start EU accession talks in September. Jana Kobzova, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that "... if an unacceptable deal emerges from Alaska, European capitals will go into yet another diplomatic and charm offensive vis-a-vis Trump". "European leaders are increasingly aware that the future of Ukraine's security is inseparable from that of the rest of Europe - and they can't let Putin alone decide its future shape and form."


The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Russia breaks through Ukrainian frontline as Putin sends 110,000 troops into the meatgrinder days before Trump summit
STORM THE TRENCHES Russia breaks through Ukrainian frontline as Putin sends 110,000 troops into the meatgrinder days before Trump summit VLADIMIR Putin's forces have reportedly made a sudden breakthrough in Ukraine's front lines - just days before a showdown with Trump. Russian military forces reportedly made the surprise thrust into eastern Ukraine, near the coal mining town of Dobropillia - which marks the most dramatic advancement this year. 2 Russian soldier raising a flag, reportedly following the capture of Yablunivka in Ukraine on August 12 Credit: Reuters 2 It marks the most dramatic advancement in the front line this year Credit: Reuters The shocking development could give Putin an upper hand when he meets the US President for crunch talks on Friday. The move could even be designed to increase pressure on Kyiv to give up land. Bloodthirsty Putin's forces have reportedly advanced by at least 10km north in two prongs in recent days, as part of their attempt to capture the entire Donetsk region. Reports also suggested Russian forces had surged towards three villages on a section of the frontline near Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun


Irish Independent
6 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Russian forces make sudden thrust in eastern Ukraine ahead of Putin-Trump summit later this week
Ukraine's authoritative DeepState war map showed on Tuesday that Russian forces had quickly advanced up to 10km north in two prongs in recent days, part of their drive to take full control of Ukraine's Donetsk region. DeepState said they had advanced near three villages on a section of the frontline associated with the two key Ukrainian strongholds of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss a possible deal to end the war in Ukraine when they meet in Alaska on Friday. Unconfirmed media reports say Putin has told Trump he wants Ukraine to hand over the part of the Donetsk region that Russia does not control. There was no immediate comment on the battlefield development from Moscow. Ukrainian military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said only small groups were penetrating defensive lines, and this did not amount to a breakthrough. Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group, said the situation had escalated rapidly, with Russian forces infiltrating past Ukrainian lines to a depth of roughly 17km during the past three days. "Forwardmost Russian units have reportedly reached the Dobropillia Kramatorsk road T0514 and Russian infiltration groups have also been reported near Dobropillia proper," he wrote on X. Tatarigami_UA, a former Ukrainian army officer whose Frontelligence Insight analysis tracks the conflict, posted: "In both 2014 and 2015, Russia launched major offensives ahead of negotiations to gain leverage. The current situation is serious, but far from the collapse some suggest." Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said the Russians had been able to advance due to what he called "a partial collapse in the front" due to Ukraine's shortage of soldiers. He said, without citing evidence, that Ukraine had redeployed elite forces to try to thwart the advance. Russia's Interfax news agency and Ukrainian war bloggers reported the same. "This breakthrough is like a gift to Putin and Trump during the negotiations," Markov added, suggesting it could increase pressure on Kyiv to cede some land to prevent the Russian army eventually taking the rest of Donetsk by force. To do that, though, Russian forces would first need to take control of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka - four places Russian military analysts call "fortress cities". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly pushed back against the idea of ceding territory to Russia, saying any peace deal must be a just one. Yuri Podolyak, a pro-Russian military blogger, said Russia had yet to commit substantial forces to exploit the breach and try to secure an operational breakthrough. Bohdan Krotevych, former chief of staff of Ukraine's Azov brigade and a National Guard lieutenant colonel, took to X late on Monday to warn Zelenskiy of the threat, saying the frontline in the area was "a complete mess".