Capital of Romania can be led by far-right mayor

Reuters stated this in an article, according to Ukrinform.

"Bucharest could become the first European Union capital led by a hard-right mayor in Sunday's local election, a contest which threatens Romania's fragile pro-European coalition government," the article states.

The position of Bucharest's mayor has been vacant since May, when centrist Nicusor Dan won a rerun of the mayoral election in the middle of his second term as the city's mayor.

The rerun was scheduled after the previous elections were annulled amid suspicions of external interference favoring the far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, who is currently awaiting trial on charges of attempting to undermine national security.

Polls show that TV presenter Anca Alexandrescu, running as an independent candidate supported by the opposition far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), is among the frontrunners for the mayoral position.

However, experts caution that poll results may be inaccurate, as Bucharest has traditionally not been a stronghold of far-right forces.

Polling stations will close at 21:00 local time, with preliminary results expected later in the evening.

AUR opposes military aid to Ukraine, criticizes EU leaders, and supports the policies of US President Donald Trump, particularly regarding energy and immigration.

Alexandrescu's main rivals include candidates from the ruling broad coalition: Social Democrat Daniel Baluta, who also has high ratings; Ciprian Ciucu, considered a protege of Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan; and Ketelin Drule from the center-right Save Romania Union.

As Ukrinform reported, in Romania's presidential elections on May 18, pro-European Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan won with 54% of the vote.