Georgescu, an independent candidate with no party, was an outsider prior to the results being counted. Exit polls had favored the current leftist prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, for a first-round win with center-right contender Elena Lasconi in second place.

With over 99% of votes counted on Monday, however, Georgescu had secured first place, with Lasconi pipping Ciolacu to second by just 144 votes. The results of voting by Romania’s sizable overseas diaspora have yet to be reported, which may affect the final standing.

Either Lasconi or Ciolacu will face Georgescu in a run-off vote on December 8, which will likely have an effect on Bucharest’s stance on Ukraine and relations with Moscow, as the president, though largely symbolic, has some sway over foreign policy.

The president also controls defense expenditure, likely to be a difficult issue as Bucharest comes under pressure to uphold NATO spending goals during Donald Trump's second term as U.S. president while trying to reduce a heavy fiscal deficit, Reuters reported.

The campaign—which Georgescu ran largely on TikTok—focused heavily on the cost of living, as Romania has the EU’s highest proportion of people at risk of poverty.

Georgescu also vowed to put an end to what he calls the country’s subservience to the EU and NATO, particularly in terms of supporting Kyiv.

Prior to Sunday’s vote, some opinion polls put Georgescu at around 5% support, after barely registering in earlier surveys.