Romania’s finance chief said a new government will need to move quickly to fix state finances even after the election of Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan as president helped soothe market turmoil that’s engulfed the Black Sea nation.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 19 called with Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan to congratulate him on his victory in the Romanian presidential election. Dan, running on a centrist, pro-EU platform, won 53.

Nicușor Dan swept to victory in Romania's presidential election on Sunday, defeating far-right nationalist rival George Simion with nearly 54 percent of the vote. Dan, 55 the centrist mayor of Bucharest and former mathematician who campaigned for an "honest" Romania, was victorious over Simion, 38, in a tense rerun of the contest.

Romania’s assets staged a relief rally after a centrist candidate defeated his nationalist opponent in the presidential election, with investor focus now shifting to how quickly a new government can fix the state’s finances.

A pro-European centrist has won Romania’s presidential election in a race seen as a key test of the country’s democratic direction

"Fear managed to defeat fury" is how one analyst interpreted liberal Nicusor Dan beating hard-right George Simion to the presidency.

France has faced a barrage of accusations of meddling in Romania's elections, even forcing its foreign intelligence service to publicly respond to claims published by the founder of the Telegram messaging app.

Romania's political crisis ends with Nicușor Dan's firm victory in the presidential elections runoff on Sunday. Dan, an independent pro-Western candidate, won 53.60% of the vote. View on euronews