AN INDEPENDENT far-right candidate won the first round in Sunday’s Romanian presidential election.

Calin Georgescu will now run off against the Save Romania Union (USR) party’s Elena Lasconi on December 8.

Mr Georgescu was ahead after nearly all ballots were counted with around 22.95 per cent of the vote, defying polls that had placed him under 10 per cent. Ms Lasconi followed with 19.17 per cent. 

Both candidates beat incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), who got 19.15 per cent.

George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, took 13.87 per cent. Mr Georgescu previously belonged to that party.

The turnout was about 52.5 per cent.

The result is a huge blow for the PSD, which for the first time will not have a candidate in the second round of a presidential race.

Despite identifying with the far right, Mr Georgescu has not articulated a clear political agenda — but his videos on the TikTok social media site are popular, amassing 1.7 million likes. He has criticised Nato and pledged to end support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.