George Simion, leader of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), conceded defeat on Sunday night and congratulated Bucharest mayor and pro-EU independent candidate Nicușor Dan for winning the presidential election.

Romanian far-right leader George Simion announced Tuesday he will contest his defeat in last Sunday’s presidential election, alleging foreign inference from France and Moldova.

The far-right candidate is the favorite to win the second round of the presidential election on Sunday.

If Bucharest does lurch over to the saboteur camp, it would be a bitter blow as Romania carries greater geostrategic heft than Hungary or Slovakia. The Black Sea nation of 19 million has, until now, been a rock-solid stalwart of the EU and the NATO alliance.

George Simion, who was defeated in Sunday's presidential runoff, announced on Tuesday that he intends to appeal the results and seek the election's annulment, citing alleged 'external interferences,' notably by France.

Far-right candidate George Simion was defeated in Romania's election by the pro-EU Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan.

Romania’s nationalist presidential candidate George Simion lost to centrist candidate Nicusor Dan on Sunday in the second round of the