Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation on Monday, saying his ruling coalition has lost legitimacy after EU critic George Simion's first-round win, deepening turmoil ahead of the May 18 runoff.

Romania’s hard-right nationalist George Simion will face a pro-Western reformist in a pivotal runoff in two weeks after decisively winning the most votes in the first round of the presidential electio

George Simion, leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, emerged as the clear frontrunner in Romania ’s presidential election redo, securing 40.5 per cent of the vote with nearly all ballots counted. The vote followed last year’s annulled election marred by allegations of fraud.