Romanians near Ukraine border place election hopes in far-right Simion | AFP

In the villages of Romania's Danube Delta, near the border with Ukraine, frustration with the authorities and a sharp decline in tourism have led many locals to voice their support for far‑right leader George Simion. Simion advocates for Romania becoming "neutral" in relation to the Ukraine war, and has said he would cut military aid to Kyiv. Simion gained almost 41 percent of votes in the contest's first round -- double the score of his rival in Sunday's run‑off, pro‑EU centrist candidate Nicusor Dan.