Simion received 40.9 percent of the votes in the first round on Sunday, compared to 21 percent for Dan. Just behind followed the right-wing party's former leader Crin Antonescu at 20.1 percent, reports news site Politico Europe with reference to figures from Romanian electoral authorities.
The final round between Simion and Dan will be held on May 18.
The 38-year-old Simion is a warm supporter of US President Donald Trump and has, among other things, threatened to discontinue Romania's military support to Ukraine.
I promise that I will always follow the people's will. I am here to serve the Romanians, not the other way around, he says after the first round, according to Politico.
Within the EU, his far-right party AUR belongs to the same party family as, among others, the Sweden Democrats, Polish Law and Justice, and Italian Brothers.
The 55-year-old Dan has been the mayor of Bucharest since 2020 and was previously one of the founders of the country's largest liberal party, USR.
