The European Union’s sixth most populous country is grappling with a pressing question: how did an unknown far-right leader, running without the backing of any political party, manage to win the first round of the presidential elections?

“Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian candidate who admires Putin and undermines Ukraine’s legitimacy, would be a dangerous choice for Romania especially with war at our borders,” said Siegfried Muresan, a centre-right member of the European parliament.

A Russia-supporting vaccine skeptic who praises his country’s WWII fascist leaders won a shock first-round victory in Romania’s presidential election.